To the Victors Go the Spoils
by HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR
Summary: And to the losers go the shackles. Trunks and Goten have been enslaved on Planet Vegeta, working for the very people who conquered their planet. Still there are strangers with familiar faces. Princes and low class warriors. Who are they? AU Fic.
1. From Harvest Ox to Castle Fox

There could be absolutely no disputing that time was relative. For no matter how long, or hard he worked, or how often he told himself not to look into the sky, the sun would never move. Granted, that was no way to measure time, seeing as the passing of a day was a slow process to begin with, and staring at the sun had the same effect as staring at a clock, only with more harmful side effects to your eyes.

Still, he thought he had a system down. He would stare at the red dusty ground, and focus only on his work, humming to himself, doing whatever it took to lose himself in his thoughts. Rhythmic patterns, telling himself that despite how much he hated striking the rock hard ground in front of him with an elongated metal tipped plow, it was at least making him stronger, and he could at least use his muscles for this work. And still, no matter how long he stared at the earth, no matter how far he progressed, the day neither got brighter, or darker. Every day was the damn same too. At some point he thought that perhaps the planet he stood on had fifteen suns, and they would take shifts hovering in the exact same position in the sky and replace each other when no one was paying attention.

But no, there was only one, and it felt like it was hovering two feet above his head. Trunks sighed and stood up, leaning against his tool of trade and wiped the sweat from his lavender hair. He turned to look back at the red and barren field he had been hacking away at and smirked a bit, at the extent of his progress. Not that he was proud to be doing work like this, but it was the human in him that made him feel a tad bit superior to see how much easier this work was for him. And in return, that made it easier on his fellow workers, if he was able to pick up their slack.

Trunks looped a finger under the metal collar over his neck and ran against the under side, to let the skin breathe a bit. He bent over and did the same with the shackles tightened around his ankles that were chained together. He sighed and stood back up, before readjusting his grip and raising his plow and striking the red earth with his inhuman strength.

It had been roughly two years since he had been brought here. He had been taken from his home on Earth, had this collar slapped on his neck and been sold as a slave. He could still picture the whole scene in his head, though he often chose not to. He grit his teeth and struck the ground beneath him particularly hard, causing it to split a bit in several directions before he raked it backwards.

As much as he loathed every inch of this life he was living, he did not regret his decision. If doing this would protect his family, then he would do it for the rest of his life if he had to. Still he missed that little blue planet he called home. His thoughts drifted again and he methodically hacked away at the ground beneath him. He swallowed heavily, trying to wet the back of his throat, but to no avail.

He continued his work, until he felt a small tingle down his spine. A large Ki was approaching, of course, on this planet, large was relative to him. He was far stronger than any being he could locate on this planet, save one. That was his life long best friend Goten, who had been brought here with him. They had been separated and sold to different masters, but they both made sure to keep tabs on each other. The collars around their necks prevented them from using their Ki, but they could not limit the huge amounts stored inside them. Still, as far as they knew, they were the only ones on this planet that could read and sense Ki, so it didn't really matter how much they had if they were incapable of using it.

Still this Ki moving towards him was powerful, and unlimited. Trunks wiped his brow and looked around, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. His gaze landed on the farmhouse a few miles away, and he frowned narrowing his eyes. There was a large golden coach followed by several smaller black ones off in the distance. He turned to one of his fellow slaves, more than a couple yards away from him and walked back to him, keeping his eyes open to see if anyone was watching him. The other slave boy was around his age, had purple scaly skin and an elongated skull.

"Hey." Trunks leaned up against his plow. The boy looked up at him and Trunks gave a nod towards the farmhouse. "Was something supposed to happen today?"

The boy stood up and looked backwards, following Trunks' gaze. "I didn't think so. Sure looks fancy though."

Then a whistle sounded and they both turned to look back. "Apparently _something _is happening." He sighed hauling his plow up onto his shoulder. "Let's go." The two began to walk back along their trail of broken ground.

"Maybe he's selling some of us off." The alien boy said, looking over.

"Well let's hope a few of us get better off then."

"Or us. That would be nice."

"Please," Trunks said, snorting. "He's not selling me."

"Oh right, Mr. Machine." The alien smiled. "He'd have a break down if he gave you up. How the hell do you even get that far in so little time?"

"Don't tell any one." Trunks said, causing the boy to lean in a bit. "But I'm the son of the devil."

This earned him a smack with the wooden end of the plow and a laugh. It had been a joke, but little did Trunks know, it wasn't that far from the truth. His mother, Bulma Briefs, had never talked about his father. He knew he was half Saiyan, like Goten, but Goten knew his father. Goku had been sent to earth as a child, by the Saiyans and had made it his home. Trunks' father was also a Saiyan, but unlike Goku he had left before he had even known of his child's existence. Trunks' brow creased at the thought, and he sighed. The two of them made it back to the farmhouse, but not very quickly. The chains around their ankles made it so they could walk and work, but not run. Every slave stood next to their respective line in the dirt, and leaned on or held their plow at their side.

Their master was a short chubby Saiyan with greasy hair and a slimy disposition. He wore fine clothing and held a cane in one hand and a cigar in the other. All in all a loathsome creature. Trunks turned his attention to the large golden carriage. It was the largest, fanciest damn thing he'd ever seen in his life.

The door opened and outstepped a short statured and yet most commanding man Trunks had ever been in the presence of. He recognized him instantly as the owner of the large and powerful Ki he had felt earlier, and his breath caught in his throat. One of the guards that accompanied him in one of the black carriages stepped forward.

"All hail to the Prince!"

Trunks blinked in surprise as the alien boy leaned over discretely. "Hey, look. It's your father. The Devil."

* * *

><p>Prince Vegeta sat in the back of his coach with his arms folded. Of course, there were a million and a half places he'd rather be at the moment, but the last eight slaves his men had picked out from him, hadn't lasted a few days. And so this time, he was going to do it himself. Recommendations be damned. He sighed and looked out the window with the red countryside rolling past him. He shook his head and closed his eyes. This was a sad state, but he had little choice at the point. If he wanted someone hardy, and someone who would last more than a week, he would have to go out to the fields and pick one himself. The coach ground to a halt and he pushed the door open with his foot. A guard hopped out of the black coach, and so did a familiar bald face.<p>

"Nappa?" He said turning to his personal guard. The first guard turned to the group of people standing in front of a field of half plowed dirt. "Is this the place?"

"It is, Prince Vegeta."

"All hail to the Prince!" Shouted the guard nearest him and Vegeta waved his hand to shut him up. He looked over at the fat Saiyan dabbing his face with a handkerchief.

"Prince Vegeta." He said in a high-pitched whining voice. "What an honor to have you here!"

"Yes, yes, whatever." Vegeta scowled. "Let's get this over with."

"Of course!" The man said, puffing on his cigar a few times. "You're here for a slave, aren't you? Well please, look through them." He said motioning to the many boys lined up by their cracked lines of dirt.

Vegeta frowned and began to walk down the line of boys. He looked them all up and down and his frown turned into a scowl. "Is this all you have?" He said. "They're scrawny." He said, grabbing the chin of a particular blue skinned boy with antenna on his head.

"They may not look like much, but they work hard, and they're strong."

Nappa walked up behind Vegeta. "We can go to another farmhouse, Prince Vegeta." He said kicking up some dirt.

Vegeta shook his head and continued down the line. He stopped and suddenly frowned; looking at the lavender haired boy he had come to be in front of. He looked him up and down and his gaze landed on the boy's eyes. His breath caught in his throat, as a hint of recognition washed over him. Those eyes! Those were… her eyes. The boy had an Earthling classification on his collar, and he was staring Vegeta in the eye without a hint of fear. His red scouter ran a few moments before a number popped up. He looked at it and his eyes widened a moment. An earthling with this sort of power level? He narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers to summon the man next to him. "This one, how much?"

"That one, your highness?" The man tried and failed to keep the shock from his voice. "That one is a human." He said, fervently. "They're weak and stubborn. This one won't last you three days!"

Vegeta peered around him, and looked at the line of work. "He seems to have made quite a bit of progress." He said. "How long did it take you to do this, boy?"

The boy wrinkled his brow in confusion. "I started this morning, sir."

Vegeta turned back to the man. "He'll do. How much?"

"Your highness, I couldn't sell him to you, he's—"

"I'll give you nine million."

The fat farm owner's heart almost stopped. He stumbled holding onto the handle of his cane. "Nine… Nine-!"

"Do we have a deal or not?"

"Yes! Yes your majesty of course!" The man turned to a few of his paid workers, and snapped his fingers. "You there! Clean this boy up, and prepare him for his highness, Prince Vegeta." The workers moved forwards, but before they did Vegeta turned to the boy and narrowed his eyes again.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Trunks." He said, evenly.

"Well, Trunks," Vegeta grinned an evil looking and sly grin. "I hope you last me longer than the others."

* * *

><p>Trunks gasped as another bucket of ice cold water was dumped over his head. He was going to get hypothermia before he was cleaned off. One of the paid workers grabbed his bare arm, and ran a rough sponge over it while another gave his back and leg the same treatment. One more was snipping away at his hair, cleaning it to look presentable. Trunks had kept it short, but cutting it with a knife tended to leave it choppy and jagged. He growled a bit as they felt like they were going to scrub his skin clean off. Suddenly the bald man from earlier stepped through the curtain. Trunks turned his head to look at him, and his face flushed with indignity. Although it was not the first time an owner, or an owner's coworker had come in and seen him without clothes, but it still managed to piss him off.<p>

"Prince Vegeta won't wait all day, is he done yet?" He asked, scowling.

"Yes, sir." One of the workers said, releasing Trunks' arm and bowing out of the room. The rest did the same, leaving Trunks alone, very nude, and very cold and very alone with the tall bald man. The man in question sneered.

"A human." He said, beginning to circle. "Why Vegeta would pick you, when he's complained about going through slaves like no one's business, is beyond me." He stopped, to face Trunks. "I give you three hours."

Trunks stayed quiet, and glowered. The man tossed a bundle at him, and Trunks caught it, before it hit his face. He looked at it, and noticed it was a pair of pants, and a shirt, along with two white boots. "Come on, put those on, we haven't got all day."

Trunks fumbled with the garments sliding them on and pulling the boots on as quickly as he possibly could. He tugged on the collar of the shirt and pulled it down around his metal one. He looked down at himself. It had been a while since he had worn clothing that actually fit him, and the change was nice.

"Nappa!" The commanding voice of the prince rang through the room, and Trunks looked over to the door, where the voice was coming from. "Let's go, already!"

The bald man, or Nappa, grumbled something and reached over and grabbed Trunks by the back of his collar and pulled him through the curtain and shoved him before the Prince. He grabbed a fist full of Trunks' wet hair and pushed his face down curving his spine, forcing him into a bow. When he was released, Trunks hovered in the position for a moment, before he heard Vegeta snap his fingers. He raised his head first and then stood up. There was something oddly familiar about the man standing in front of him, but Trunks couldn't quite place what it was. Vegeta stared at him for a few moments, and little did Trunks know, a similar thought process was going though his mind. Vegeta turned and walked away. "He'll ride with you."

Nappa grabbed the back of his collar again and Trunks choked a bit as he was dragged back towards the black carriage. He looked back at his fellow slaves and noticed the alien boy from earlier. The boy gave him a sympathetic look and little salute to wish him well, and Trunks could not appreciate the gesture more. Another boy waved. "Bye, nine million."

Trunks gave them all a smile before he was shoved into the black carriage and Nappa climbed in after him. He sighed and looked at the group of guards that occupied the seats and saw Nappa take the only remaining one. He turned about before receiving a swift blow to the shins from Nappa's foot. "Sit on the floor, earthling. You'll smash your head in if you stand like that."

Trunks reluctantly sat down on the floor under the window opposite the door. He tucked his hands over his knees and tried to make himself as small as possible. He laid his head on his knees and grimaced. The prince. He had just been sold to the prince of the race who had invaded his planet and took him from his home. He bit his lip angrily and tried to compose himself. He couldn't lose his cool now, even if he was trapped in this position. He had a feeling he knew what they were all talking about when they said that Vegeta went through slaves like no one's business. He wouldn't be the first to die in his service, so he would have to tread carefully. Trunks sighed and buried his face in his hand.

"So, earthling. When did you get here?" Nappa sneered, a smirk spreading over his face. "Before or after that puny planet was subjugated?"

"… During." Trunks spoke up, softly.

"Your race didn't put up much of a fight."

Trunks' face twisted into a scowl. Not that the humans had stood much of a chance, not being a warrior race at all.

"What about you?" The smirk in Nappa's voice was evident. "Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Put up a fight?"

"At first." Trunks gripped at the fabric of his pants, and remembered the day. As long as he remained in slavery, as long as he remained loyal to the Saiyans, his mother, his family, would be left alone. It was the one thing the Saiyans were actually decent and trustworthy about, although it was still a low life thing to do. Sell a family member into slavery, and the rest of the family was left under protection. Goten and Trunks had readily volunteered. Gohan had been training in the heavenly realms, and Goku had been too sick to have such a thing demanded of him.

"Well, you humans were never too bright, or strong." Nappa laughed. "I guess resistance was short lived." He leaned back and wrapped an arm around the back of the seat. "You know, Vegeta was on that planet a few years back."

Trunks looked up. He raised an eyebrow. "He was?"

"Yeah. After a debacle with Freeza he crash-landed there. Apparently he was stranded there a few months. I'm surprised it took him so long to order the invasion. Not that he did."

"Who did?"

"Why? Planning revenge?"

"No." Trunks said, lowering his eyes. "I'm loyal, as long as the Saiyans hold up their end of our bargain."

"Ah, sold yourself out to keep your family safe, huh?"

"Most slaves do. " Trunks looked up. He saw Nappa shrug, and lean back.

"Well whatever encourages cooperation." He smirked down at Trunks, and leaned forward. "So, why do you think Prince Vegeta picked you?"

"I don't know." Trunks whispered.

"Neither do I." Nappa reached down grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling him up a few inches off the floor. "So I've got to wonder, if he's just trying to mess with us here. He complained about his slaves not being strong enough, and now he picked a human."

"Strong enough?" He said, swallowing trying to avoid wincing.

"You'll find out." Nappa released the grip on his hair and leaned back into his hand. "I can't wait to watch you break."

Trunks relaxed onto the floor again as the coach fell into an eerie silence. He was alright with silence. The ride took a while, and no more words passed between him and Nappa, or anyone else in the coach for that matter. Trunks looped his finger under his metal collar, and ran it along the inside in a nervous habit. He sighed and rested his forehead on his knees. After a few moments of ugly silence, the coach came to a stop, jostling the people inside. Trunks lifted his head as the door opened and Nappa slipped out first, the rest of the guards quickly and quietly following suit. Trunks pulled himself up into a standing position finding himself alone in the coach. Nappa stood by the door and gave him an expectant look.

"Well? Get out here, kid." He snarled.

Trunks didn't need to be told twice, he took a step forward, ducked through the door and jumped down onto the ground. The sight before him was awe-inspiring, he could hardly believe it. The castle was huge, and the most ornate piece of art work on the entirety of the planet. It wasn't rounded and white like the farm houses and other buildings Trunks had been living in previously, but was composed of tall spires, towering above everything else, as if to prove only the best of the best for the best of the best. The breath was caught in his throat as he looked up to the very top. He nearly choked when Nappa clapped him on the back, smirking.

"Welcome home."


	2. Of Sewer Rats and Boiler Brats

The muted light came in from one of the small boarded up windows that were lined across the ceiling. Each crack in the in the wooden boards that barred the window like jail bars let in streams of light which illuminated the dusty, smog filled filthy air. Pipes hissed and screamed, as steam poured out at temperatures that could cause third degree burns. Still, it was better than working outside, Goten reminded himself. He sighed and buried his face in the crook of his forearm, laying flat against a ceiling beam about fifty feet above the ground. The room he was in was a large circular dome, with cracking white paint, and boarded up windows. An essential look for any good waterworks plant.

Goten sat up on his ceiling beam and stretched his arm over his head, yawning. No matter how hard he tried, there was no possible way for him to take a nap in this room. Which was saying something, because it could not be said that Goten didn't know how to nap. If he could, he would take a whole month and devote it solely to sleeping. But this room was impossible, for one there was the screaming pipes that burst at the edges, for another there was the almost intolerable heat. Goten hoisted his hands over his head and touched the ceiling above him in a stretch. He smirked in satisfaction as he heard his shoulders crack and pop in response to the tension he put on them. Suddenly a screech jarred him from his contentment and he looked down off his perch, to survey the work area.

His eyes landed on the owner of the shriek, and he leaned forward to get a better look. It was a pale pink alien boy, gripping a large metal girder, which was steadily slipping out of his hands. He was standing on top of the huge bronze colored boiler, which sat in the center of their work area. Another pale pink alien was standing next to him, trying to reach down and grab the girder to haul it back up, but the weight of the thing was too much for them. Goten stood up straight and began to eye the rafters above him. Without his flight, he would have to settle for jumping. He saw one lower rafter, and braced himself, and jumped forward, grabbing it with all his might. He managed to grab it, and used his on going momentum to propel himself towards the distressed aliens. He landed several feet away and rushed over as quickly as he could, waving his arm.

"Here!" He called. "Let me help!" He said. The two looked over at him confused, and the girder slipped another few inches. Goten reached down, kneeling besides one of the boys, and grabbed the girder with one hand. He then stood up straight and hoisted it over his head, like it was made of wood. It was still a bit heavy for him, with all his Ki bottled up, but he was still much stronger than anyone here. The two aliens stared at him, and then one of them smiled.

"Thank you!" He said in a heavily accented voice.

"Aw, sure. No problem." Goten smiled back. "Where was this supposed to go?" He asked, chuckling a little. "I'd like to put it down now."

"Of course." One said, pointing behind him. "Over there, by the others."

Goten nodded and walked over, setting the girder down. He looked back over and smiled. "If you ever need help with the heavy lifting, just call me. My name is Goten."

The boys both nodded and smiled at him with gratitude heavy in their eyes. "Thank you. It's so kind of you to say."

"Well, hey." Goten said, rubbing the back of his head. "Us boiler brats have to stick together." He said, turning around. He walked to the edge of the boiler, and sat down, swinging his legs off, and slid down till he landed on one of the thicker, and therefore cooler pipes. He sat down a moment and was prepared to jump down again to get to the work floor when the door at the far side of the room opened. He stood up quicker than he thought he could have and grabbed one of the bolts on the side of the pipe and pretended to be tightening it. He looked down as a few low class Saiyan warriors filed through; he rolled his eyes and looked back at his work. Just another few army warriors taking a tour of duty down in the slums and sewers to keep the slaves in check. It was easy work and most of the time they were put on duty here as training, or work for when they were injured, sometimes even as a punishment. Goten slid down the pipe and sat down at a curve, he watched them all file through and snickered. They were practically slaves themselves, masquerading around as members of the army. He leaned his head back, watching them, until a sharp voice jarred him from his reverie.

"Radditz! Hurry it up!"

He looked down and leaned over, to see who had barked the order and his eyes widened in shock. "Dad?" The words came out louder than he meant to, and he nearly fell off the pipe he was sitting on. The man standing there in green Saiyan armor with red wrist bands was standing at the door, waiting for someone. The man who followed had hair down to his waist and it was as bushy and spiky as a hedgehog. Goten gasped and jumped down onto the moist and moldy floor and ran forwards, towards the man in the hall. His father. Son Goku.

"Dad!" He yelled, reaching forwards. His heart soared. His father had finally come here, he had finally come to save him, he was finally going to go home! His happy thoughts were roughly torn to a halt when another third class clotheslined him, knocking him to the floor.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, slave?"

Goten blinked in surprise and sat up, looking at the man whos eyes were on him. He felt as though his heart had been ripped out at the sight. The man standing in front of him was _not _father. He was _not _here to save him, and he was _not_ going home. The look in this man's eyes was cold and ruthless, and the scar on his cheek and the green scouter on his eye gave Goten all he needed to know that this man was not his father. His eyes stung with tears as he wiped his chin on the back of his hands and stood up. "N… nothing."

"You ran over here for nothing?" The third class sneered. "That seem like nothing to you, Bardock?"

The man who looked just like his father scrutinized him. "No, it didn't." He walked forward. "You have business with me boy?"

Goten's eyes narrowed and he curled his fist. If he needed proof that this man was not his father, he had it now. His father would never have spoken to him that way. "No sir." He looked past him and pointed. "I… need to adjust that valve behind you." He lied.

His father's look alike, Bardock, turned his head and then looked back at Goten before nodding at it. Goten took a few steps towards it, grabbed it and gave it a twist. He hoped to god it wasn't important, and wouldn't blow this place up with him in it, and gave it a second twist before turning around and looking at the two men staring at him. He noticed the other man, with the wild hair was also scrutinizing him. Bardock glowered a bit.

"What are you waiting for, a medal?" He asked. He jerked his head back at the boiler. "Get back to work."

Goten turned towards the boiler and ran towards it, tears stinging at his eyes. He wasn't sure who this man was, or why he looked just like his father, but by god, he was determined to find out. And he had a feeling he knew where to go to get some answers. The sewer rats.

The sewer rats were the underground information network of the slaves. The sewers ran all throughout the planet, and therefore made it easy to spy and eavesdrop on things happening above ground, anywhere throughout the entire planet. Of course, they weren't really rats, not all of them anyhow, but the nickname was fitting. Every classification had a certain nickname amongst the slaves, working in a water treatment plant made Goten a boiler brat.

Goten stopped by a small grate in the floor and looked around before squatting down next to it. He licked his lips and whistled twice, tapping on the metal grate. "Anyone down there?" He whispered, leaning in.

A few moments past before a dirty face appeared beneath him. Goten smirked and rested his hands on his knees. The slave beneath him wiped her face, and looked up at him expectantly. "What'cha want?" She asked.

"I need to know about a third class warrior." Goten said. "His name is Bardock. He's got hair like this." He grabbed his own hair, which had become more tame as he had grown, like his brother's, and stood it on end. "Know anything?"

"Off the top of my head, no. But I'll ask around, do some snooping. " She shrugged. "Depending. What'cha got?"

Goten smiled widely and reached into his back pocket and produced a small brown sack. "Rations. They'll last you a week. Longer depending on how many friends you have."

The girl's eyes lit up and she nodded. "You've got a deal. Come back here in a few days and I'll give you a report."

Goten nodded and he stuffed the small sack between the bars into her eager hands. "Thanks." He said grinning from ear to ear.

"Right back at'cha."

With those words the slave was gone, and Goten stood up and hurried away from the grate to avoid any suspicious glances. He furrowed his brow. It couldn't be a mere coincidence that this man looked just like his father. Coincidences like that just didn't happen. Usually. His frown deepened as he began to climb the large metal structure next to a wall. He wondered if his father had even made it through the heart virus that had struck him only days before the invasion. Bulma said she could treat it, but it would take time and might not work at all. And with Gohan training with Piccolo up in the heavenly realm, he had to wonder if anyone was going to come for him or Trunks.

His thoughts wandered to his best friend and he reached out with is Ki to feel for his own. Trunks' Ki wasn't too terribly far, now. Which was a change from what it had been only yesterday. He wondered if he had been sold, and if he was doing okay. His Ki wasn't in distress so he assumed he was fine, but he could never really be sure. He heaved a sigh and pulled himself back onto his rafter, and leaned against it. He looked down at the battalion of third class soldiers and his eyes landed again on Bardock and the other man he was with. It couldn't be a coincidence… could it?

* * *

><p>Bardock looked over at his son with a disdainful glace. Radditz was listening closely to what their instructor had to say, or so it would appear. Bardock was never quite sure. His son was powerful to say the least, but he always had a incurable attitude. It was what had landed them both there in the first place. Needless to say, Bardock was unhappy with the situation. He folded his arms and looked around the water treatment plant. He scanned the area for the slave who had run up to him earlier. He had said he was only there for the valve, but Bardock wasn't that naïve. You didn't run up to someone shouting "dad" and with such hope and happiness in your eyes and then claim it had been nothing more than a faulty valve that needed tending to. Bardock frowned. The brat had referred to him as his father. He wasn't sure why, and honestly, part of him didn't care. And yet he couldn't shake the look of hurt the boy had stared at him with after being knocked to the ground.<p>

The instructor finished talking and Bardock folded his arms. "Do try not to make any sort of scene this time, Radditz. Especially if you want to go back to the royal guard."

"I won't, father." Radditz nearly spat the words out.

Bardock's eyes finally found the boy he had been searching for. He was sitting up on the rafters now, fiddling with something or another. He narrowed his eyes. "Radditz."

"Yes, father?"

"That slave from earlier. Have you seen him somewhere before?"

Radditz snorted. "No, father, I haven't." He said, putting his hands on his hips. "Though I'd have liked to teach him a lesson-"

"He referred to me as father." Bardock said, cutting his son off mid-sentence.

"What?"

"When he ran over here. He called me father."

"I didn't hear that."

"I did." He glared over at Radditz angrily.

Radditz just shrugged his shoulders and looked around nonchalantly. "So? The kid must be delusional from all this steam. It's seeped into his brain." He said, tapping the side of his temple. "What do you care?"

Bardock turned and glared. "I don't."

"So then what's the problem?"

"There isn't one." He turned around and faced forward. "Just go and do your job." He snapped.

He could practically feel the scowl on his son's face. "Yes father." And he took off into the boiler room.

Bardock looked back up at the boy on the rafters. His face twisted into a scrutinizing scowl. Perhaps the boy was delusional. Or perhaps it was something much more than that.


	3. Palace Cats and Basement Bats

Prince Vegeta was pacing angrily back and forth in his chambers before an enormous fireplace. A human, of all things he had picked a human. A human with an enormous power level and _her_ eyes. It had really been the eyes that had done him in. Those haunting blue eyes, that never held any sort of fear. Even when she had panicked her eyes had never once betrayed that fear. This boy stared at him the same way. Maybe it was a human trait. After all, she couldn't be the only human with blue fearless eyes. Vegeta's thoughts drifted to that tiny blue planet where he had crash-landed so many years ago. He looked into the fire and leaned against the marble. He had to wonder if the woman was even still alive. A part of him, a part he would never acknowledge or verbally announce existed, hoped more than anything she was.

"Bah, ridiculous." He turned around and began to pace back and force again. He reaffirmed that the boy was strong, and that was all he needed. His power level was higher than any other of the slaves he'd had prior, so this one might last longer. Trunks. It was a ridiculous name, but that didn't matter very much.

There was a knock at the door. Vegeta turned to it, holding his hands behind his back. "Enter."

The door opened and another slave entered the room meekly. "Prince Vegeta." The slave said bowing deeply. "Your father has requested your presence."

"What for?" Vegeta turned away. "More of his final will bullshit?"

"Prince Vegeta, your highness, please. His health is failing, and you are to be crowned king very soon."

"So? Why should I have to humor that dying man's whims?" Vegeta snorted, folding his arms. "He's already made everything clear, what more does he have to say to me?"

"I do not know, sir."

Vegeta growled a bit and turned to the slave. "Fine. I'll give the man what he wants." He brushed past the slave with a flick of his cloak, and made his way down the hall. He lost himself in thought as he made his way to his father's chambers. He opened the door and stepped inside. He put his hands to his sides and bowed deeply. "Please pardon my intrusion."

His father lay on his bed, looking more and more ill by the second. He turned to his son and beckoned him over. Vegeta complied and knelt by his father's bed. "You called for me, father?" His voice was tame and any sign of him not wanting to be there was not present.

His father turned his head. "What's this about leaving the palace grounds, Prince Vegeta?"

Vegeta suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He was hardly a child anymore, and he didn't need to be kept under supervision. "Yes father, just out to the farm lands." He kept his voice low.

"A king's duty is to always be at the head of his kingdom."

"I am not king yet, father."

"Not in name." The king turned to look at him. "You will be crowned soon."

Vegeta bowed his head, and put a hand over his chest. "Of course, father."

His father turned his head back to the ceiling. "Is there any news on Freeza?"

"No, father, not yet." Vegeta said, looking up resting his forearm on his thigh. "However, as soon as he makes a move, we'll be ready for him." He clenched his fists. "He has, after all, made his intentions towards the Saiyan people clear."

"Yes, but you must be careful, my son."

"I'm not afraid of that lizard freak."

"Mind your tongue, Prince Vegeta." His father said, harshly. "As king you must rule with wisdom, and logic. Not by your desire to prove your superiority."

It took every bone and muscle in Vegeta's body to keep him from snorting in disdain. He wanted to point out that that was how _every _Saiyan king had ruled including his father, but pointing out his father's hypocrisy on his death bed, or near enough, did not seem quite appropriate at the time. "I'm sure I'll make the right choice." He said, biting his tongue.

"I'm sure you will as will. I wish to be informed, when you discover what he's planning."

"Of course, father." Vegeta stood up. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, for now."

Vegeta bowed again, and turned on his heel before leaving the room. "Honestly, if all the old man wants is company he should have a slave do it." He grumbled, stalking away. Speaking of, he would have to see how his newest one was fairing being broken into the life of a royal slave. Perhaps that would be interesting.

* * *

><p>Trunks stared at himself in the mirror and frowned. He tugged at the high collared green shirt he wore and looked down at himself. He felt strange. It had been a while since he had worn clothes this… sturdy. The clothes provided by his old master were flimsy at best, and full of holes, not to mention filthy. These clothes were clean, well fitted, and well made. He hardly felt like a slave anymore. He tugged the shirt collar again. It was the one thing he didn't like about it. It was like they were trying to hide his metal collar, which labeled him a slave. As twisted and strange as it sounded in his head, as much as he hated, loathed, and despised the damn thing, he had never really been ashamed of it.<p>

"There, now you at least look the part."

Trunks turned around and looked at Nappa. He gave the collar another tug and shrugged his shoulders, trying to get the aches out. "Feels like a bit much." He grumbled.

Nappa laughed and walked into the room. "Well, we'll see how long it lasts."

"You keep saying that." Trunks said, his mouth screwing up into a frown. "What's it mean? Is he going to kill me?"

"You wouldn't be the first." Nappa said. "Though you might be the one who takes the shortest amount of time to have your employment… terminated." Nappa made a cutthroat motion.

"I might surprise you." Trunks countered.

"No, I don't think so." Nappa said, leaning against the wall. "Even if you do somehow stay in Vegeta's good graces, there's no way you'll be strong enough to withstand Vegeta's training."

Training. Trunks' ears perked at the word. Was Vegeta going to train him? Or use him for training? Either way it wasn't something he was particularly worried about. He was strong enough to withstand Goku and Piccolo's training, but then again, they had been worried about his welfare. It was what Nappa said before that that had him worried. Staying in Vegeta's good graces. He seemed like the kind to fly off the handle easily, and decapitate Trunks if he had a bad day. He felt a little nervous at the thought. He ran a hand over his metal collar and hoped to god he could make it through this.

"Won't be easy…" He mumbled. It would not be easy at all. That was for sure.

"Maybe not even possible." Nappa said, grinning. "After all, after all that trouble with Freeza, Prince Vegeta has been… less than happy."

"Freeza…" Trunks frowned. "That galactic emperor?"

"What, you don't know about Freeza?"

"I'm a slave, remember?" Trunks raised an eyebrow. "My old master wasn't terribly concerned with keeping us in the loop."

Nappa laughed. "Well, if you're gonna be here, you'll have to be." He said walking over. "Wouldn't want you saying the wrong thing, now would we?"

Trunks grimaced a little bit. He didn't trust Nappa as far as he could kick him, which was… not really a fair comparison, seeing as he could probably kick Nappa a fair distance. Still he had to hear it from someone.

"Don't expect me to teach you any etiquette, though. I'm no baby sitter. I leave that to the other slaves." Nappa glared at Trunks, looking at him daring him to challenge him. Trunks just nodded, not looking to be punished anytime soon.

"Freeza, Cooler, King Cold and King Vegeta may as well rule the entire universe, or at least the parts that matter." Nappa grinned, folding his arms. "You know all those names, Earthling? Or am I gonna have to spell it out?"

"I know them." Trunks snapped, he had never appreciated being treated like a child.

"About two cycles—twenty years by your Earthling standards—ago, Freeza tried to… annex they Saiyan kingdom." Nappa moved his hand about. "By ourselves, we're no match for Freeza, but together, we're a hell of a force to be reckoned with. You understand?"

"Freeza lost."

"Damn straight he lost." Nappa grinned, folding his arms again. "But the fleet we sent to stop his hostile take over attempt was, heavily damaged. And Prince Vegeta's ship was shot down. Which was when he landed on your pitiful planet. Why he didn't demolish it, and sell it off is anyone's guess, but he came back about three of your years later. Said he didn't want to talk about it, and never bothered with the planet again, until his father decided to… well… Annex it."

Trunks frowned. "Were there… other Saiyans on earth about that time?"

"Pay attention, brat. I said his ship landed there. You think he was the only one on it?"

Trunks lowered his head in contemplation. The time frame fit. A bunch of Saiyans crash land on Earth three years before he was born? His father had to have been one of Vegeta's men. But knowing Vegeta, if it had gotten out that one of his men had been with an Earth women, he would likely have been killed. Which would fit with all the times Trunks had asked about his father, and his mother had responded with: "Who knows, he's probably dead now."

His mother had really loved his father, and she often missed him, yet she always affirmed that his father was probably dead. Like she was trying to assure herself, rather than Trunks.

"So where is Freeza now?"

"Ruling his kingdom." Nappa said, cracking his neck. "Things have been on edge with him for about two cycles now, for obvious reasons. And Vegeta has been looking for a… diplomatic solution." He said, grinning.

"By diplomatic you mean bloody?"

"Very."

"But you said no one was a match for him on their own."

"That's true. But that was two cycles ago." Nappa turned his head and smirked. "Right, Prince Vegeta?"

Trunks had been so caught up in the conversation he hadn't even noticed his new master's Ki in the doorway. Prince Vegeta stood there, leaning against the door. "Freeza is a coward. He stands no chance against us."

Trunks could only stand there staring at him for a few seconds before Nappa grabbed his hair again and shoved him into another bow.

"Forgive me, Prince Vegeta. He hasn't been educated yet."

Trunks frowned. In his defense he had only been there for two hours. He hovered in that position wincing at the grip on his hair, as Nappa finally released him. He heard Vegeta walk over and he raised his head a little bit to look up at him. Vegeta was studying him.

"Stand up."

Trunks stood up, and straightened his shirt out a bit as Vegeta circled him. He felt like a wounded seal being circled by a shark. He bit his lip a bit, and stared straight ahead. Nappa was grinning at him, and Trunks found he sorely wanted to punch him, right between the eyes.

"So, boy," Vegeta drawled. "Tell me, do you have any sort of combat training?"

"A little bit, sir." Trunks was quick to answer. A little bit was a lie. He'd been trained since he was four.

"What kind?"

"Martial arts, and I've been trained to use my Ki."

"Yes I've noticed." Vegeta looked him up and down. "Where'd a human learn to do that?"

Trunks thought about his answer. "I was trained by my friend's father." He said, quietly.

"And where did he learn that?" Vegeta kept circling.

"I'm not sure." Which was completely true. Whenever he asked Goku how he had done something Goku would start laughing saying he didn't rightly know either.

"Really." Vegeta kept circling him. "Can you fly?"

Trunks bit back the urge to say he couldn't with the damn collar on. He nodded slowly. "Yes, but the collar-"

"I know about the collar boy, don't presume to tell me the obvious."

"Yes sir." Trunks spoke softly.

Vegeta was silent. Then with lightning fast movement he grabbed Trunks' hair and punched him in the back. Trunks' first instinct had been to dodge, but he found slave owners didn't like it when you dodged their blows and then things tended to be worse. He winced at the punch. It felt like being hit by a car. It was just as hard, maybe harder than Goku or Piccolo's punches. He grimaced and bit back any sort of show of pain.

"You didn't dodge." Vegeta's cold voice came from behind him.

Trunks blinked in surprise. Was he supposed to have dodged that? This was messed up, how was he supposed to know that? "I… didn't think I was supposed to."

"But you could have."

Shit. Was that a trap? Was Vegeta feeling out his power to see if he was a threat or not? Or too weak to serve? He wasn't sure how to answer that, so he stayed silent. Vegeta let go of his hair and circled around.

"Well?"

Trunks hesitated and shook his head. "I… don't really…"

"Then try again." With no warning, Vegeta reeled back and threw a punch at Trunks' face. Trunks let his instincts take over this time and twisted his head out of the way, bending backwards a little. The punch collided with nothing than a few strands of his hair. He blinked and mentally cursed himself. Well now what? What if that was the wrong thing to do? There was no way he could properly defend himself with the collar on. He braced himself for the worst.

To his surprise, Vegeta only laughed. "Well done." He smirked. "Perhaps I will get some use out of you."

Trunks heaved a sigh of relief. Vegeta looked to Nappa. "Take him downstairs to meet with Fasha." He said, rotating his neck. He turned around. "I'll start on him tomorrow." With those words he left the room and Trunks was alone with Nappa again.

He couldn't help but feel extremely satisfied by the look of shock on Nappa's face. He looked up at him and grinned. He buried his smile in his oversized collar as Nappa looked over at him. He shook the shock from his face and glowered again. "Come on, Earthling." He snarled before walking out the door. Trunks followed, careful to stay close to him. Nappa led him down a few flights of stairs, before leading him up to a large wooden and decaying door.

Trunks did not like the look of the door, but he followed Nappa through it anyways. They went down another flight of stairs until they were in a large stone room with several connecting doors, lit only by torches. Trunks looked around, and noticed it was filled with others, some human, some alien, all dressed the same as him, except for one woman in the back who was wearing a pink sleeveless body suit with white Saiyan armor.

"Fasha!" Nappa barked.

The woman looked over at him and walked over. She had short black hair, and a green scouter on. The way she carried herself reminded him of his mother. Tough, no nonsense, and fearless. "Another one, Nappa?"

"Yeah, Vegeta's newest."

"You're kidding." She said, looking at Trunks. "It's a human."

"I know, but what can you do?" Nappa put a hand on Trunks' shoulder and shoved him forward. "I leave him to you."

"Whatever, I won't have him long if he's Vegeta's." Fasha said, scowling.

Nappa laughed and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Trunks looked over at Fasha and swallowed heavily; he'd have to tread carefully here. Fasha looked him up and down. "Alright, listen up, fresh meat." She said, putting a hand on her hip. "I'm in charge around here. You report to me, after Vegeta. When you're down here, you're mine. I am not your den mother, I am not your maiden aunt, and I am not your caretaker. I don't want to hear you whining, I don't want to hear you complaining, and I don't care about how smashed up you get if you do. I am your warden, got that?"

Trunks nodded. "Yes ma'am." He said, quickly.

"Good. Your room is down there, but don't get too cozy." She said, nodding to a door. "Vegeta's slaves never last long."

"So I've been told." Trunks nodded.

"Don't get mouthy with me, brat." She said, turning away. "You ever been a house slave before?"

"No, ma'am. I was a harvest ox-… I mean a field worker." He had gotten used to calling himself by his nickname, he had almost forgotten the proper term. Fasha gave him an odd look and sighed.

"Fine, I'll have one of the other slaves give you a lesson." She said, nodding to the group. "Go on, go and make some friends." She said, snorting.

Trunks turned around and looked and noticed all eyes were on him. He turned red and walked over to a particularly uncomfortable bench. This was not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination. But Trunks was resilient to say the least. He would be sure to get through this. He had to survive, if he was ever going to go home one day.

* * *

><p>(For those who don't know, Fasha is one of Bardock's crew from the movie Bardock the Father of Goku.)<p> 


	4. Growing Suspicions and Boiling Prisons

A whistle blew somewhere overhead and Goten turned around in his hammock, groaning as he did. No matter how many days it was the same he would never get used to waking up so damn early. He pulled the flimsy pillow over his head and pulled the ragged blanket up over his shoulders. Too early. Too damn early. If the sun was not up, then neither was he. He silently vowed that when he were to go home, he would take one year and devote it to nothing but sleep. Then maybe he'd sleep some more. And then he'd take another year and devote it entirely to eating. His stomach growled at the thought of food and he groaned. His hunger was almost more than enough to rouse him from his bed, but he could not find the energy. His hammock rocked a bit as a hand shook it.

"Come on, boss says get up."

"Boss says a lot of things." Goten mumbled into his pillow.

"Well he's also saying you'll get no food if you don't get up now." The slave below him said, dropping to the floor.

Goten groaned and rolled off his hammock and fell about ten feet to the ground. "Ow." He mumbled into the hardwood floor. He pushed himself up, rubbing his nose. "Curse my stomach." He mumbled, smiling a little. He rubbed the back of his head and walked after the rest of the slaves. They all walked down to mess hall, filled with wooden benches, and tables. He noticed the battalion of third class Saiyans were already seated and eating. They were eating much better food than what they were given, and Goten's mouth watered at the sight. He sighed and looked over at their tables which each had a large metal pot filled with some beige slop they were given every morning.

Goten made a face and sighed, stretching his arms over his head. He rotated his neck and felt a small shiver down his spine. He turned towards the table full of Saiyans, and noticed the man from yesterday, the one who looked like his father, was staring at him. Goten frowned and turned his head away. Maybe he thought that Goten was a troublemaker now. After all, the water works plants were filled with holes and secret ways, plenty of places to hide… that was why they all had guards filling them every day. Goten glared at the table and sat down. He looked up and smiled at his fellow slaves. One grinned back at him.

"Everybody take what you want now, cause this guy will eat everything left over." He joked, jabbing a spoon at Goten.

Goten laughed and held a hand behind his head. "Yeah, you can all go first."

One slave girl dipped the ladle in and spooned some of it into a few bowls. "I don't understand you." She said, eyeing Goten. "How does this stuff not kill your appetite?" She said, giving him a smirk.

Goten grinned and looked at the stuff. "The trick is to not taste it."

"Or feel it, or smell it, or chew it." Another boy said.

"Exactly." Goten held up one finger. "You just have to swallow it down as fast as you can!"

"That still doesn't explain your voracious appetite."

"I'm a growing boy, leave me alone." Goten said, frowning. A growing half Saiyan boy. His mother had been convinced that Saiyans were born with three stomachs, and a black hole inside them. Which he could buy as well; seeing as he could almost out eat his father. When he, Goku, Gohan and Trunks got together they could eat enough food to feed a small planet. The other slaves around him finished their portions and Goten was left with the rest of a pot, or three. He clapped his hands together and bowed his head before grabbing a spoon and eating as quickly and as much as he could. Yeah, he would have to devote a year to eating good food.

Goten sat back and smiled contently after having cleaned out three pots half filled with the stuff. He was still hungry, but he had practically licked it clean. There was no more to be had. A whistle blew not a moment too soon, and Goten stood up and stretched. He turned around and walked to the work floor, not before casting a glance at Bardock. He had stopped staring and was now talking with the wild haired man from earlier. Goten tried his best to ignore them, and walked past them to the boiler room. He filed inside, scratching his collar, and he looked around. The slaves separated into groups, and went to their respective stations, or wherever they were needed. Goten walked over to a group of particularly heavy looking metal pipes. He grabbed one and hoisted it over his shoulder and then grabbed another and put it over his other. The other slaves had filed up to lift just one.

"Show off." One laughed, nudging him jokingly.

Goten laughed back and turned bright red. "Hey, the quicker the better, right?" He walked over to the wooden platform and set them down on top of it before rushing back to help the others. As soon as they were all on the platform Goten nodded to the top of the boiler. "You guys go up and get ready to take them, and two of you stay down here and help me hoist them up."

The others nodded and instantly scampered up the metal construct. Goten seized the rope tied to the wooden platform that had been rigged to a pulley system. The others grabbed a hold of it too, and they slowly began to pull. Goten smirked to himself, thinking how much he would get to brag to Gohan about his weight lifting. They all heaved together, to pull it up. Goten kept at the front, pulling as hard as he possibly could.

"Quite strong there, aren't you?"

Goten nearly let go of the rope but managed to secure his grip again. He looked over along with all the other slaves, and saw the man from yesterday, the one with wild hair staring down at him with his arms folded. Goten's face flushed with some anger and embarrassment and he looked back at his work. He turned back, trying to ignore the man in front of him. "Almost there, keep going." He went to give it another tug, but the man seized the rope and held it in place with just one hand. Goten blinked in shock and nearly lost his grip again.

"I want to have a word with you."

Goten narrowed his eyes a little. "I have to work."

"You talking back to me, slave?"

"If I go, this thing will crash and it will take twice as long to get it back up there." Goten explained pointing.

The man looked down at him and furrowed his brow. He tugged the rope up, and it nearly sent the wooden platform through the ceiling. The other slaves grabbed it and pulled it over to the boiler and set it down. Everyone stared on in awe, and Goten just stared at the strange man. In the back of his mind he was a little angry. If a third class Saiyan could do all that so quickly, why even bother with slaves?

"There." He nodded. "Now, I want a word."

Goten looked back at his comrades, who just shrugged. Goten looked up at him and nodded. The strange haired man turned around and walked away from the others. Another slave gave him a worried look, so Goten held up his hand in a thumbs up, and grinned as widely as possible. He smiled a little and went back to his work, so Goten turned back to the man who led him to a wall on the far end of the boiler.

The man looked down at him, and folded his arms. "What's your name, brat?" He asked, grinning. The grin made him think of Piccolo when he decided to have impromptu life threatening training. Goten remained silent with prompted another evil smile from the man. "Don't be that way," He said unfolding his arms and touching his chest. "Here, I'm Raditz. See? Let's be friends. What's your name?" There was something about this man that just made Goten want to squirm.

"Goten." He said quietly.

"Goten." The man said, mulling the word over in his mouth. "Well, Goten. I've got a few questions for you." He smiled, trying to look friendly, but only succeeded in looking more evil. "Think you can answer them?"

Goten gave him a slow and suspicious nod. Raditz took a step forward pinning Goten between him and the wall. "Good." Raditz said, smiling. "Well first of all, Goten…" The movement was slow in comparison to Goten's speed, but with the collar on, his own movement was restricted, but nevertheless, Raditz got a hold of Goten's mop of hair and brought pulled his head down to collide with his knee. Goten gasped in pain and grabbed the bridge of his nose, feeling warm blood trickle over his hands. "You need to show some more respect."

Raditz smirked and slapped his forehead. "Oh how stupid of me! That wasn't a question!" He reached down and put a hand on Goten's shoulder. "Here, let me rephrase." He pulled Goten forward again and punched him in the gut with quite a bit of force. "Can you show some more respect?"

Goten coughed and wheezed and brought his hands down around his middle. Raditz looked down at him, and smirked. He grabbed Goten's hair again and pulled him up again. "Well? Yes or no, Goten?"

Goten coughed, and nodded his head. He cursed the collar around his neck and braced himself again. Raditz stood up straight and cracked his neck. "Good. Next question." Raditz grabbed Goten's shirt, which was stained with some blood from his nose, and gave his jaw a swift punch.

Goten coughed and spat out some blood onto the floor. He turned his head back to Raditz, refusing to give any sort of acknowledgment that he felt any pain, and he braced himself for the next blow that was sure to come.

"Why'd you run up to my father yesterday?" Raditz grinned at him.

Goten's eyes widened and he shook his head. "That valve—"

Another punch found his jaw and Raditz pulled him up again. "Let's try that again. Why did you run up to my father yesterday?" He asked, fake kindness layered his voice. "Last question, don't worry, Goten. Just answer me honestly."

Goten glared at him and tried to brace himself upwards with his feet hardly touching the floor. Raditz had him suspended a good few inches off the ground. He grabbed Raditz's wrist trying to pull himself up. "I thought he was someone else." He admitted.

"You thought he was _your_ father?"

Goten blanched a bit. "Yes."

Raditz pulled back and punched him again. "You lying punk! You expect me to believe you mistook a Saiyan for a puny Earthling?"

It took every fiber of his being not to shout that his father was a Saiyan. He wasn't sure what else to tell him, he was never good at lying and he didn't believe the truth. He spat some more blood onto the floor and coughed, sorely wishing to get some sort of retribution. Raditz hauled him up again.

"Try again, brat! Tell me why you-"

"Raditz."

Raditz turned around pulling Goten with him, and Goten tilted his head back to see Bardock standing there with his arms folded. Bardock tilted his head a bit, and his eyes narrowed a bit making him look even angrier than his usual disposition.

"Is there a reason you're harassing that slave rather than doing your job?"

Raditz made a low growling noise from the back of his throat. "I was only trying to-"

Bardock held up a hand. "Spare me the excuses, Raditz. Go." He tilted his head back at the other Saiyans. Raditz dropped Goten to the floor and stalked past his father. Goten sat up, wiping the blood off his face on the back of his sleeve. He was about to pull himself up when Bardock crouched in front of him; Goten instantly steeled himself for yet another attack. Bardock raised a hand and reached for Goten's face, and Goten's instincts took over quickly. He grabbed Bardock's hand defensively, and held it at bay. Bardock looked a bit shocked by this, but his surprise melted into an amused smile.

"Easy there." He snickered. "I'm not gonna hurt ya." He pulled Goten's hand off his own arm and reached forward taking Goten's chin in his hand. He reached back and pulled a brown cloth out of his back pocket. He began to wipe Goten's face off, roughly scraping the dried blood off Goten's nose that had been nearly split open. He then wiped the rest of the blood off his chin and looked him over. "You heal quickly for an Earthling." He noted.

Goten winced at the rough touch, and felt his nose. The cut had already closed it self off, but he could feel it bruising. He rubbed his chin a bit, and looked up at Bardock. "Thanks." He mumbled. He had to wonder why this man was helping him. Well… Helping in a loose sense of the word. It had almost hurt as bad as the punch had.

Bardock stood up, and pulled Goten up to his feet by his forearm. He nodded back at the boiler. "Go on, now." He said, jerking a thumb over at the machine. "Get back to work."

Goten looked up at him and then slowly began to move towards the machine before breaking into a run. He bolted over to scaffolding and scaled it easily to reach the top. The slave boy from the other day was up there, hauling something up with a rope. Goten grabbed the loose end to help him. The boy gave him a concerned look.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Who me?" Goten smiled at him. "I'm fine! Fit as a fiddle! Er… that's an earth phrase, huh? Well I'm just great, he barely even touched me." Goten flexed his arm to prove his point. He put on his best smile, and patted his arm. "No need to worry about me." He promised.

He turned back to his work and continued to haul the object upwards. He frowned and looked down at his feet, pulling mindlessly. He looked down and his eyes landed on Bardock who was walking back towards the other Saiyans. Why had he come to his rescue? Did he know something Goten didn't? He'd have to check to see if the sewer rats had any new information on him. That would be helpful, to say the least. He buried his mind back in his work, and took a deep breath. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>Bardock walked back over to the group of Saiyans folding his arms as he did so. He wasn't quite sure what had come over him. What did that slave matter? Why had he actually helped it? And why the hell could he not shake that haunting look from his head. That look that had been so full of hurt, and pain, the boy had looked at him with was burned into his memory, and he had no idea why. He had never cared a lick of what had happened to the slaves anywhere before. After all, they were only slaves. Bardock noticed his son standing a few feet away looking very put out. Raditz noticed him too and stalked over, scowling.<p>

"Why did you stop me, father?" He demanded.

"Raditz, you know what happens when you break other people's toys." Bardock said, giving his son a sideways glance. "It's what got you sent here in the first place, isn't it?"

"But-"

"I don't care about your excuses, Raditz." Bardock snapped. Raditz shut his mouth and glared at his father. Bardock turned his gaze ahead of him and frowned a bit more. "What did he say, anyhow?"

"The slave? A bunch of bullshit."

"That's not the answer I was looking for, Raditz."

Raditz shrugged. "He said he ran over because you thought you were his father." He said. "But the brat is an earthling. A human. And he expected me to believe that he thought _you _were a human too?"

Raditz kept talking, but Bardock had started to tune him out. The wheels were turning frantically inside his head. An abnormally strong boy from Earth. He furrowed his brow and thought back. The boy had thought that he was his father. It was true that Bardock's genetic structure was common, as was the hair, but something about this all just did not sit right with him. How could it? There was a boy, with inhuman strength, claiming that Bardock bared enough of a similarity to his father to run up to him with all that hope and joy in his eyes.

"No… It couldn't be… could it?" He silently mused to himself.

Was that boy over there, that slave boy from earth… could he possibly be a Saiyan? Bardock straightened and looked over at Goten and squinted at him, folding his arms tighter over his chest. Something in his mind clicked a little. Earth. The planet they had conquered two years ago…. Seemed more familiar then just that. Why did he suddenly feel like he knew that planet for a much longer time? He had never been there, of that he was positive. None of this sat right with Bardock at all.

"Father?" Raditz said, looking over, frowning.

"There's something I need to do." Bardock turned away from his son and walked deeper into the group of Saiyans. He had to find someone who had connections, someone who could get him answers about that blue planet, and someone who could figure out who that slave boy was.

He was going to get the gang back together.


	5. Training Grounds and Battle Hounds

Trunks rolled over onto his side on his cot, and looked around the dark and empty room. It was bona fide medieval dungeon, complete with a wooden door with bars on the window. All that was missing was a couple of chains bolted to the wall, and a torture device in another corner and it would be set. He turned over onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. Still it was the first time since he'd become a slave that he had his own room. He sat up and stretched, swinging his legs off the side of the cot and standing up. He grabbed his clothes off a wooden chair, and slipped them on before walking to the door and stepping through. He rotated his arm, and walked through the stone hallways before ending up in the common room he'd been in the other day. The woman from yesterday, Fasha was standing there, looking over a translucent screen with a digital display on it. She looked up when he came into the room.

"You're up early."

"Am I?" He blinked, confused. He felt he had actually slept in, working in the fields he had gotten used to waking up much earlier. It was easier to start if the sun was still down. He rubbed the back of his head, but knew even if he went back to bed, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

"Vegeta won't be awake for another hour at least." Fasha looked over to Trunks, tapping on the screen. "You could go back to bed."

"I wouldn't be able to." He said looking around. There had to be something for him to do for a while. That was when he noticed the table of food in the corner of the room. He stared at it, his mouth watering in anticipation. He hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday, when another slave had brought them rations out on the field. Still, he doubted the food on the table was for the slaves. It looked too good. Too fresh. He couldn't help but stare at it, despite himself.

"What, are you trying to absorb the nutrients with your mind?"

Trunks turned to look at Fasha and shook his head. "I didn't think it was-"

"What, for you?" Fasha raised an eyebrow. "You really haven ever been a house slave before." She nodded at the table. "Take what you want."

That wasn't a good idea. Trunks could eat everything on that table easily. He eyed it and walked over, before taking a bit of the food and eating. Within minutes though he was scarfing down whatever he could fit in his mouth. It had been a while since he had food this good. He had forgotten what things like that tasted like. He stopped himself before he ate everything insight and tried to remember there were other people here besides him. He noticed Fasha was staring at him.

"You eat a lot for a human."

"So I've been told."

She shrugged and turned away, tapping on her clipboard. Trunks finished the bread he was chewing on and sat down on a bench, frowning and pulled his collar down to loop a finger down under his metal collar, running along it.

"How many slaved has Vegeta had?" He asked quietly.

"Nineteen." She answered quickly, as if she had been expecting it.

"And they've all… died?"

"Yes." She tapped it a few more times.

Trunks frowned at the floor and clenched his fists; he was not going to die here. Especially not by that man's hands, he felt a bit of hatred swell up in his heart, and let his head hang down into his shirt collar. He wasn't sure how someone could be so evil, and so cruel. He was sure the slaves before him had been less than defenseless, and probably hadn't deserved death. He would not end up like that. He wasn't going to be that easy to kill. He wanted to go home, to see his mother again, and he wasn't going to wait till the afterlife to do that.

More slaves began to file in, and Trunks had hardly noticed how much time had passed. He stood up and watched them all crowd around the table to eat and hoped he hadn't taken too much. They all sat and ate for a while, until a light blinked on over the door Trunks had followed Nappa through the other night. He looked up at it, and the other slaves headed towards the door and started to walk up the stairs. Fasha came up beside him, smiling.

"Well that's your cue." She said, putting a hand on her hips. "I'd say 'see you later' but odds are… I probably won't."

Trunks looked over at her. "Thanks." He said dryly. He followed after the other slaves, and exited up in the palace halls. He was wondering where he was supposed to go, as he had no idea where anything was, but he noticed Nappa leaning against the wall opposite the door. He bit the side of his cheek and scowled. "Oh good." He muttered and walked over to him.

Nappa looked him up and down and removed himself from the wall. He smirked a little bit and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Follow me, Earthling." He said turning and walking down the halls. "I hope you enjoyed your last meal."

Trunks glared at the back of Nappa's head. "I plan to have a good few more after that one." He said, causing Nappa to snort. "Besides, aren't death row prisoners supposed to get to choose their last meal?"

"Maybe on Earth. Here, they're lucky if they get fed at all."

Trunks wanted to make some remark on how he should have expected that, seeing as allowing someone a last meal would involve having some sort of decency, but he decided against it. He followed Nappa to a large pair of doors, which Nappa knocked on. Trunks stood behind him until he heard Vegeta's unmistakable voice from behind the doors.

"Enter."

Nappa opened the door, and grabbed Trunks by the back of his shirt before propelling him into the room. He then closed the door and left Trunks standing alone in the room with his new master. He quickly remembered the rules a few of the other slaves had taught him, and bowed.

Vegeta was in the middle of putting his gloves on, and he looked over at Trunks out of the corner of his eyes. "So you've got some manners now, have you?"

Trunks glared at the floor, and bit his lip. "Yes, sir."

"Good. At least I won't have to kill you for insolence. Will I?"

"I hope not, sir." Trunks said keeping his voice humble.

"I hope not too, it'd be a damn waste." He said walking over to Trunks who was still in a bow. "After all, I paid nine million zeni for you." He snapped his fingers. "Stand up."

Trunks did as he was told and stood up straight, keeping his hands at his side. Vegeta circled him once before walking over to a large closet. He pulled it open and pulled out a black Saiyan uniform and a chest plate. He hooked them under his arm, and Trunks couldn't help but wonder what they were for. Vegeta was already wearing the royal armor, so what could he possibly need another set for. Vegeta walked to the door and Trunks turned, following him.

Vegeta walked down the halls of the palace, looking over his shoulder at Trunks. Trunks stared at the floor, which wasn't a rule, but the other slaves had heavily advised. Vegeta looked back, and then turned straight ahead. "Prey stares at the floor."

"Sir?" Trunks looked up, confused.

"Prey stares at the floor. Predators keep their heads high."

Trunks furrowed his brow in confusion. "I am a slave, sir."

"And?"

"Predators keep their heads high because the can kill, unquestioned. Prey keeps its head lowered because it can be killed and not be missed."

Vegeta stopped, turned to Trunks and stared at him for a few minutes before throwing his head back and laughing. "I see." He said walking over. "Well, you have a point kid." He leaned forward. "But you see, you're my slave now. And if someone does kill you, outside of myself, they won't even live to regret it."

Somehow, that didn't make Trunks feel any better at all. He nodded in spite of this. "I understand, sir." He said quietly.

"Good." Vegeta turned and began walking again. Trunks followed, this time staring straight ahead. His thoughts drifted back to when he was a child, training with Goku and Piccolo. He had been crying, holding his face, and sitting on the ground. Goku walked over to him, and leaned down in front of him, grabbing his shoulders, hauling him up into a standing position.

"_Stop crying, Trunks." _He had said, firmly. "_Stand up, straight, and look me in the eye." _He put a hand on Trunks' shoulder and smiled. "_Stand tall, and be brave. Like men were meant to look at each other. As brothers. So dry your tears now. Be strong, and hold yourself up tall. You're a mighty warrior, aren't you? Show me your might now!" _

Trunks smiled a little at the memory. He hoped very much Goku had survived the disease that had hit him. His mother said that she could cure it, but there was still a high chance for death. He closed his fist and silently prayed. 'Don't be dead.' Goku had always been the closest thing he had to a father. Him and Piccolo both. Goten and Gohan his brothers, and his mother there… they had been a family. And he missed them more than he knew was possible. Some time passed and he had hardly noticed that the scenery changed, and he looked around as Vegeta led him outside. His jaw nearly dropped in awe. He had never seen a training ground this big. There were dozens of Saiyans all training diligently, on dummies and with each other.

"Hey! I'm not waiting for you, boy." Vegeta had stopped to turn to him, and Trunks hurried along after him, muttering an apology under his breath. Vegeta led him to a large area covered in sand, that had guards spaced evenly around it's perimeter. Trunks followed Vegeta out to the middle who turned to him, a smile on his face that made Trunks' skin crawl.

"So tell me, kid. What kind of training have you had?"

Trunks blinked. He could have sworn he had been asked that question yesterday. "Martial arts and-"

"Your Ki, yes." Vegeta rolled his eyes. "I'm looking for an answer a bit more specific than that."

Trunks steadied himself, and raised his head. "I've had combat training with my mentors, sparring and some actual battle experience."

Vegeta raised his eyebrow. "Battle experience?"

Trunks nodded, and his eyes darkened a bit at the memories. "The Saiyans weren't the first threat to come to earth."

Vegeta raised his eyebrows, but then smirked. "I suppose not. And you defeated these other threats?"

"It wasn't just me." Trunks said, smiling a little bit. "I had a friend to help me."

"… I see. Anything else?"

Trunks shook his head. "Just tournaments and the like." He said. He thought back fondly at his fights with Goten in the tournaments, and their vows to someday defeat Piccolo, Goku, and No. 18. Another thing he forced himself to look forward to. Just to remind himself he wouldn't be a slave forever.

Vegeta snorted. "It's hardly an impressive record," He tossed the armor over to Trunks who caught it, confusion showing in his eyes. "But it will have to do." He sighed, and folded his arms. "Put that on."

Trunks' brow furrowed at the order but slowly did as he was told. He took off his shirt and slipped on the black uniform, before sliding the armor over his head. He pulled it down over his chest and slid his arms through. He paused a moment and looked over at Vegeta. "… May I ask you something, sir?"

Vegeta looked over at him, and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Why not train with one of the guards?" He asked, eying the Saiyans fighting a few feet away. "They'd probably provide a better challenge than I would."

Vegeta grinned at him, and turned to face him. "There's a simple answer to that. You're expendable. They're not."

Trunks felt like his heart had turned to stone and dropped into the pit of his stomach. He should have realized it was something like that. If the slaves tended to die, then some of the soldiers were also liable to die. And while slaves were easy to replace, soldiers were more costly, and more valuable. Still, Trunks wasn't going to let that discourage him. He wasn't going to let Vegeta kill him here. Not like this anyhow. He took a deep breath to calm himself and folded his clothes over his arm, before setting them down in the sand.

Vegeta folded his arms. "Come at me." He ordered. Trunks faltered a bit, his jaw dropping open. He opened his mouth to say something but Vegeta cut him off. "Come at me with everything you have."

Trunks wasn't sure what to do. Everything he had was sealed away with the collar, and he didn't want to cause any sort of scene that would get him executed. But Vegeta seemed like the type of master to execute you for holding back. He would take it personally. Trunks sighed and got into a fighting position. He would have to wing it.

Vegeta smirked at him, folded his arms arrogantly and raised his chin. "What's the matter? Afraid you might-" Vegeta was knocked backwards flat onto his back from a swift and mighty punch to his jaw. Trunks stood over him, his eyes wide. He had hit him. To be fair, Vegeta had left himself wide open right after saying 'come at me' so it wasn't really Trunks' fault, yet he doubted that would matter in anyone else's mind. Vegeta was staring up at him, the shock on his face clear as day. Trunks couldn't help but feel immensely satisfied with himself. If that was going to be his last act in this world, at least it had been a good one.

Vegeta pulled himself to his feet and wiped his jaw on the back of his hand. Much to Trunks' surprise he grinned. "Very well done." He said standing up straight. "You saw and opening and took advantage of it. You _have_ had battle training."

Trunks stood there quietly, unsure of what to say. Vegeta raised his hands in a battle pose, and grinned like a maniac.

"Come at me. See if you can land a hit like that again."

Hit him again? Oh with pleasure.

Trunks didn't even have to think about it, he launched himself at Vegeta throwing a punch expertly the way he had been taught all his life. Vegeta caught it with one hand, and pushed him back, sidestepping and taking one step back to use Trunks' own momentum against him. However, Trunks was not new at this, and was ready for a counter like that. He ducked down and kicked his legs out, to knock Vegeta off his feet. Vegeta jumped up, and landed down, grabbing Trunks' forearm and pulling him forwards and up. Trunks nearly lost his balance but managed to regain his footing. He turned around; noticing Vegeta's back was turned to him, if only for a split second. The movement was as subconscious as a smile. He twisted his body around, holding his elbow up and cracked it down hard in between Vegeta's shoulder blades.

Vegeta was knocked forwards but regained his footing almost instantly. Trunks launched himself at Vegeta again, aiming for one of the prince's pressure points, but before he could connect, he saw Vegeta moved at an incredible speed, and he felt his gloved hand wrap around his jaw. Before he knew what was happening, he was knocked to the floor, Vegeta posed over him his hand raised to throw a punch and his hand still over Trunks' mouth.

Trunks' eyes widened and he stared up at him. Vegeta smirked and raised his head. "I'm impressed." He said. He stood up, letting go of Trunks. "Get up. We go again." He turned and walked away to the middle of the training ground. Trunks pushed himself up, and rotated his shoulders. He was still alive. That was a plus. He stretched his arm across his chest, and shook himself off. He was now, more confidant than ever that he could do this. He was going to make it through this. He was going to survive. And he was going to make it home.

* * *

><p>Bardock stepped into the loud and crowded building, letting the door swing shut behind him. He folded his arms over his chest and looked around. The smell here was enough to knock anyone with a weak constitution out cold. The smell of gravel and fermenting alcohol, mixed with sweat and blood. The air was hazy with smoke, and the floor was lined with broken glass and dirt. It was a typical Saiyan Bar. He began to make his way through the drunken men, and tuned out the loud raucous cheering from celebration of some subjugation of some planet. Finally in the back of the bar, in a darkened corner, he saw who he was looking for. A band of familiar Saiyans, drinking and sitting quietly, whispering to one another.<p>

One of them noticed him and waved him over. Bardock walked over, and grabbed a wooden chair, sliding into it. One of the Saiyans, a tall man, with a white band on his arm grinned at him. "Bardock, long time no see!"

Bardock nodded at him. "Tora, how're those missions going without me?"

Tora smirked and took a swig of his drink. "Not as well as we'd like, but we've been managing."

Another larger Saiyan leaned forward. "So how's your babysitting going?"

"Oh yeah!" The other, darker skinned man said, folding his arms over the table. "Didn't you get sent to that Water Works plant, to keep an eye on your son?" He snickered. "What'd Raditz do this time?"

"Who knows?" Bardock leaned back into his chair, folding his arms behind his back. "All I know is I got saddled with the responsibility for it. Stupid punk." He sat back up and looked over his Saiyan comrades. Borgos, Shugesh and Tora were all here, but there was one member of their team missing. "Where's Fasha?" He asked, unfolding his arms.

"She's got that job in the palace remember? Taking care of those castle slaves." Tora said. "She'll be along soon enough."

Bardock grabbed one of the drinks off the table and started to drink. He sat back in his chair and they all sat in communal silence, taking in the atmosphere. It lasted a while before a voice spoke up from behind him.

"Am I really the life of the party, or are we always this somber?"

Bardock looked back and grinned. "Hey Fasha."

Fasha grabbed the back of another chair and dropped into it, folding his arms. "I've been knee deep in paper work." She grumbled. "I'm a warrior! Not a pencil pusher." She said slamming a fist on the table. "When you get done with that water plant business we're all going on an assignment together. I'm going stir crazy."

Bardock nodded. "Whatever you say, Fasha."

"Long day?"

"It's not even noon." Fasha grabbed a drink. She swallowed and set it down. "Oh, the Prince has a new one."

"Really? How long do you think he'll last?" Tora asked

"I'll be surprised if he comes back tonight." She muttered. "He's human."

Borgos laughed heartily and leaned back. "What's Prince Vegeta thinking?"

"Who knows?" Fasha said, chugging more of the drink.

"Enough of that." Shugesh leaned forwards, like they were discussing treason rather than petty gossip. "Bardock, what'd you call us here for?"

Bardock leaned onto the table with one hand and pointed to it with another. "I need you guys to get some dirt on someone for me." He said, quietly.

"Easy enough." Tora said, frowning.

"Not so much. He's a slave."

"A slave?" Fasha asked. "What do you want dirt on a slave for."

Bardock stared at the table for a long time. "I think he might be Saiyan." He whispered. All his coworkers stared at him for a long time. Fasha laughed a little, nervously.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. He fits the profile perfectly, and he ran up to me the other day calling me 'father'." He said, rubbing his chin. "The kid's from Earth. Do I look like any earthling you've ever seen? So if the kid's never seen me before, why would he think I looked like his dad. I've got a pretty basic genetic code, so it's possible that his father is a low class Saiyan—why are you all staring at me like that?" He snapped.

All four Saiyans looked at one another and then looked back at Bardock. Shugesh grumbled a bit. "You really can't remember squat about your personal life."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember, Bardock?" Fasha asked, setting her cup down.

"Remember what?" Bardock looked between his comrades. "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

Tora looked over at him, and frowned deeply, looking uncharacteristically serious. "Bardock," He spoke quietly. "Earth was the planet they sent your son to. That's the planet Kakarot was supposed to invade."


	6. Family Ties and Lullabies

Raditz sat with his arms folded across his chest watching as his father paced back and forth across the hardwood floor. He followed the older man with his eyes, and Bardock continued pacing back and forth. Raditz began to tap a finger up and down on his bicep, and cleared his throat a little. His father didn't give him any sort of recognition so he cleared his throat again, louder this time. Bardock still paid him no mind, and continued pacing. Raditz rolled his eyes and turned his head.

"Should I call someone in to replace the flooring, or do you plan to wear a hole down to the center of the planet?"

Bardock turned rapidly to stare at his son, and opened his mouth, as if he were going to yell at Raditz or give a typical speech about minding his place, but to Raditz's shock, his father closed his mouth and turned around and walked to a bed and sat down. He folded his hands over his mouth and began to tap his foot, glaring at a spot on the wall.

"Father, what's going on?" Raditz said quirking an eyebrow. "I haven't seen you this disconcerted since Kakarot was born."

Bardock's eyes shot up to him, a look of anger on his face. "Who said anything about Kakarot?" He snapped defensively.

Raditz raised an eyebrow. "I did. Just now." He said, blinking the confusion from his face.

"What about him?" Bardock was eyeing his son with a certain level of distrust.

Raditz furrowed his brow. "Nothing about him." He said, trying to understand what his father was talking about. "I said you looked as disconcerted as you did the day he was born."

"That low level warrior is probably dead, why would I be disconcerted?" Bardock said, folding his hands over his mouth. "The planet he was sent to invade was still in tact when we found it, so clearly he failed and died."

Raditz just stared at his father. "What does that have to do with anything?" Then a look of realization dawned on him. "Is that really what you're so concerned about? Kakarot? Father it's been over four cycles! Why are you just now thinking about him?"

"I'm NOT!" Bardock snapped at him.

Raditz glowered back, and folded his arms again. "Well if that's not what you're so worked up about, then what is?"

"None of your damn business." Bardock stood up and walked to the door, and wrenched it open. I'm going out. I'll be back late." He left, and slammed the door after him. Raditz rolled his eyes and pulled his armor off, to ready himself for bed. He had made a habit of not really caring what his father did, since his father never really cared what he did. This was typical Saiyan parenting. Growing up, Raditz had always silently envied his little brother, even though he was probably dead. He shrugged his shoulders and flopped down onto his cot. His father could do whatever he wanted.

* * *

><p>Bardock stomped through the halls, angrily. He fumed a bit before he reached the end of the hall and shoved the door open. He blinked and stopped as one of the hinges on the doors came loose and whined a bit, breaking away from the doorframe. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, before leaning up against the wall. No matter how hard and long he thought about it, it was too big a coincidence. His son, who shared his genetic code, and hair -as he had seen him as a baby- had been sent to Earth, and now more than a few cycles later, a young boy with Saiyan features, from Earth, had run up to him, mistaking him for his father. That was too much of a coincidence, and no matter how hard he tried to explain it away he kept coming back to the same conclusion. The boy was Kakarot's son.<p>

"No. It's not possible." He said, leaning up against the wall. "It's not possible, it can't be!"

He pulled his hand down his face and grimaced. He had to find some way to be sure. Tora and Fasha had both suggested dragging the boy to Malaka and having him test to see if he actually was a Saiyan

But that would leave him explaining why he had dragged a slave out of the boiler room, and had his blood tested. And what if the boy wasn't Saiyan, that was a lot of explaining to do. He could just go up to the boy and ask if he knew Kakarot, but that was still a lot of explaining. He had to do something, though. He walked down the halls and opened the door to the boiler room. He walked in and leaned up against the door. He folded his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes, burying himself deep in concentration. There had to be some way to resolve this, and some way to do it quickly. Though he wasn't exactly sure what he would do if he found out the boy _was_ his grandson. Buy him from the Water Plant and take him home? That had never been Bardock's style; he was no great parent, that was for sure. Still, keeping a Saiyan as a slave was unheard of. He wasn't sure how the rest of the community would react. They might kill the kid, for being a disgrace to Saiyan blood, which would make sense as to why the kid didn't speak up about it.

Still, he couldn't just leave it at that. He would have to somehow secretly acquire the kid's DNA and have him tested. Then he could decide where to go from there. But where the hell was he going to get the kid's DNA? It wasn't like he could just go up to the kid and say: "Give me your blood."

Bardock's head snapped up, and his eyes widened. "Wait a second." He muttered. "Blood." He reached back into his pocket and pulled out the brown cloth he carried with him. He unfolded it, and grinned. It was still stained with blood. The kid's blood. He grinned and stuffed the cloth back into his pocket and turned on his heel, heading for the plant's exit. He mentally patted himself on the back for helping the kid earlier. His luck was finally turning around.

* * *

><p>Goten flopped onto his hammock and lay there with his left arm dangling over the side. He buried his face into his pillow and grimaced as other slaves started to do the same. It felt like this day had gone on for ages, and for some reason it left Goten feeling on edge. Like something bad was about to happen. He winced at the pain left in his joints from working, and the pain in his face from the beating he had taken earlier. All in all he felt terrible. He turned over onto his back and stared at the ceiling, which was a mere few feet above his head. He reached up with his leg and kicked it, letting his hammock rock back and forth, gently. He closed his eyes and listened to the hiss and screeches of the boiler, and the soft sobs of the other slaves. Some of them were newer than others, and they were not used to the sores and burns left on their bodies. The boiler brat's lullaby.<p>

Goten turned on his side as his hammock gradually became still again, and he hummed gently to himself. He gripped the sides of his blanket and pulled up over him, hiding his face. Somewhere below him he heard other slaves talking, soothing, trying to help the ones in pain.

"Shh, it's okay." One whispered. "See? The pain goes away. It always does."

Goten reached up and touched the black and blue mark left on his nose and under his eyes. The pain had already subsided, and he was almost certain he had destroyed all the nerves in his hands. The burns and blisters didn't even bother him anymore. He ran a rough finger over his nose again and turned back to face the ceiling. Why? Why had that man Bardock helped him? It didn't make any sense.

It was almost more cruel to Goten. Yesterday he had seen Bardock and mistaken him for his father. But he had been able to shake that attachment easily, when he saw the cold ruthless glare that Bardock held for him. Then today… he had cleaned his face off, and spoken to him like he was a person. It brought up all the pain and anger Goten felt when he had to remind himself that this man wasn't his father. It was so hard to separate faces. If he looked like his father, but didn't act like his father, then there was no confusion. But when he looked like his father and expressed some form of concern… it felt like an ice cold vice had clamped down on Goten's heart.

"Jeeze, what's his problem…?" He mumbled. Saiyans were cruel, yes, but few of them could be labeled psychological geniuses. Not any he'd met anyways. The third class Saiyans he was surrounded with weren't exactly the best and brightest. He had heard the elite had a reputation for things like this, but not the third class. Goten shook his head and folded his arms behind his head. "Well… oh well." He smiled. He wasn't going to complain when someone helped him out. After all, if Bardock hadn't come along, Raditz could have very well killed him.

Goten rolled over onto his stomach and looked down at the slaves below him, he noticed a few of the older slaves going around tending to wounds. He frowned and folded his arms leaning on them. He sorely wanted to help, but the last time he had tried he had been more of a hindrance than an aid. He was good at inflicting injuries, not so good at healing them. He leaned over and whispered. "Need any help?"

Another slave looked up at him, and smiled. "I think we're okay." She responded. "By the way, do you want someone to look at your face?"

"Hm?" He touched the bruises again. "What this? No, no, it's fine." He grinned at her, folding his arms. "It'll heal up on it's own. " He rocked himself in his hammock a little, before frowning. "By the way, have the Sewer Rats asked for me at all?"

"Not that I know. Why?"

"I asked for some information." Goten answered. "Nothing big."

Another slave perked up, and leaned out from his hammock to look up at Goten. "What'd you ask for?" He said, curiosity shining in his eyes.

"Information on that Saiyan guy." He said, leaning his chin onto his arms.

"The one that beat you up?"

"No, that guy who helped me."

"Oh yeah." Another slave looked over at him. "I saw that, that was weird. What was up with that?"

"I dunno. He's strange." Goten responded turning back into his hammock, folding his hands behind his head.

"He's that Bardock guy, right?" A girl said, wiping her hands off on a rag.

"You know him?" Goten asked, instantly turning around, almost throwing himself off the hammock.

"Of him." She answered, sitting down. "He's a third class, obviously, but supposedly, he's almost as strong as the Prince." She said, tossing the rag over her shoulder. "They say he comes back from every mission almost dead, and when he heals he comes back at least three times as powerful. Him and his team take on the jobs that not even the elites will touch."

Goten raised his eyebrow. "Is he that strong?" He hadn't even felt for Bardock's Ki, but he never thought he would have to. "Why's he still a third class if he's so powerful?"

"I dunno, maybe he likes it."

"Right, cause being on a low rung of the ladder is so much fun." Another boy said. "I mean look at us. We're just euphoric!"

Everyone laughed, and Goten smiled, turning back onto his back. If nothing else, he could at least find comfort in the fact that it could be worse.

* * *

><p>Bardock stood impatiently in front of the doctor, with his arms folded. His foot was tapping up and down, and he was wearing a scowl on his face. This was taking longer than he had expected, and he didn't like it. Apparently simply smearing blood on a cloth and then throwing it at a doctor telling him to identify it was not a good idea, because apparently it made the doctor's job much more difficult. He had been standing there for an hour now, and was getting more and more impatient by the second. Malaka looked back at him and sighed through the nostrils on top of his beak.<p>

"You know, Bardock, staring at me won't make me go any faster."

Bardock huffed and turned away on his heel. "Just let me know when you're finished."

Malaka continued his work, and eyed Bardock suspiciously. "What is your hoping to find here, Bardock?"

"None of your business, just do what I tell you."

"If I know what you're looking for I can find it easier."

"I want to know what type of person the blood belongs to!" He snapped. "So just figure it out, and tell me. You might get it done faster if you stopped turning to talk to me every five seconds!"

The two fell into an uncomfortable silence, and Bardock furrowed his brow. He still wasn't sure what he would do if the blood was a match. Part of him was panicking and hoping to god that it wasn't. The silence carried on for a long time before Malaka grabbed a sheet of paper printing off a machine.

"There, finished. Are you satisfied?"

"I will be once you tell me the results." Bardock tapped his foot up and down, angrily. "So?"

Malaka looked over the sheet of paper, and shrugged his shoulders. "It's normal." He said simply. "Regular blood type, slight signs of malnourishment, and slightly anemic, but all in all nothing serious—"

"I don't care about that!" Bardock snapped taking a step forward. "Is it Saiyan?" He hissed.

"Is it… what?" Malaka looked up at him, confusion etched in his features.

"Is it Saiyan?"

"… Yes of course it is." Malaka stated, looking shocked. "What did you do, just pick up a random bloodied cloth and bring to me? Do you even know who this blood belongs to?"

Bardock had stopped listening. He took a step back, and his back collided with the wall. "I knew it…" He whispered. He held his head in his hands. It was a match; the boy was Saiyan. That could only mean one thing. Bardock was a grandfather. He shook his head and took a step back. "He's Saiyan."

"Well mostly." Malaka said, looking at the sheet.

"Mostly?" Bardock looked over.

"Yes, it's only half Saiyan."

Bardock looked forwards again, and sighed. That made sense. "Can you tell if it's a match… for mine?" He asked quietly.

"It's not your blood, Bardock."

"I know! Can you tell if it's… related to me?"

"No, there's not enough for that."

Bardock nodded and sat up. He didn't need that; he had all the proof he needed. He folded his arms and stared at the wall for a minute before closing eyes again and furrowing his brow. "Thanks, doc." He turned and left the room, rubbing his chin. The boy had to be Kakarot's son. There was no other explanation. Yes, Prince Vegeta had crash-landed there some time ago, but there would have been no third class Saiyans aboard that ship. Still, now that he knew, he had to figure out what to do with this information. He could just confront the boy, tell him he knew, but he still wasn't sure if that was the smartest choice. Bardock would have to keep this information to himself for now. He could ask Tora and the others what they thought he should do, but for now he'd keep his mouth shut about it. Still. A grandfather. He never thought he'd be such a thing, with Kakarot presumed dead and Raditz being well… Raditz. Bardock walked back towards the water plant, and stared up at the sky. This was a fine mess indeed.

* * *

><p>(For some reason I'm really unhappy with this chapter. I rewrote it seven times before I got it to a point I thought was publishable. : )


	7. Pleasant Surprise and Haunting Eyes

The look on Fasha's face was priceless; every injury, every blow he had taken was completely worth it. Trunks stood there, smirking at her, holding his shirt under his arm, and his armor by the collar in the other. Fasha just stared at him, for what felt like an eternity, her mouth slightly agape, and her clipboard hanging loosely from her fingers.

Trunks fidgeted a little bit and smiled a bit. "I'm back."

Vegeta had devoted the entire day to training, or 'breaking him in'. He had come out with more cuts and bruises in placed he had forgot he had places, and felt a little worse for wear. Still, Vegeta hadn't come out unscathed, and Trunks' pride swelled at the thought. He had managed to get in more than a few solid hits, and he hadn't been reprimanded for it in the least. In fact, Vegeta seemed to enjoy it more when Trunks got a few hits in. This only served to confirm Trunks' suspicion that Vegeta was out of his mind.

Fasha readjusted her grip on her clipboard and nodded. "So I see." She said, walking over. "It looks like Nappa owes me a hundred Zeni."

Trunks blinked. "You and Nappa were taking bets on if I'd come back?"

"Yes." Fasha said, smirking and tapped on her clipboard.

"… And you bet that I would?"

Fasha looked up at him sharply. She glared at him and turned away in a huff. "Don't get sentimental, brat. He bet me that you would die by days end, and I accepted, that's all. This is a pleasant surprise." She looked over her shoulder. "Now come on." She said, snapping her fingers. "I'm not going to wait for you."

Trunks furrowed his brow in confusion but followed her as she started walking. He walked after he slowly and finally raised his voice. "Where are we going?"

"Regeneration pods." She answered simply.

Trunks was taken aback. He had seen them before, naturally, but he had never been in one. He looked down at himself and couldn't help but think it was a bit excessive. The injuries weren't that bad. He had no broken bones and hadn't even lost that much blood. He looked up at Fasha and cleared his throat. "I don't think I need one…"

"I don't care." Fasha said. "Frankly, I don't think you do either. Those injuries are superficial, which is even more surprising than the fact that you came back at all."

"So then why bother healing me?"

"Because you're a royal servant. You can't go working in front of royalty looking all beat up."

Trunks stopped dead in his tracks. "… You're healing me…" He started, holding a hand up. "Just so I'll look good?"

"Don't flatter yourself. You're a slave. You just need to look presentable."

Trunks shook his head. "I will never understand palace life." He said, following her further. She led him down more of the dark stone corridors till they reached a white room, with a single regeneration pod in the back. Trunks noticed an old man in white robes standing in the back, looking over a few charts.

"Planthorr!" Fasha snapped, putting a hand on her hips. "You need to heal this one." She said, jerking a thumb at Trunks. "He's not in bad shape so it shouldn't take too long." She put a hand on Trunks' shoulder and shoved him forwards. He stumbled a bit, and straightened himself up before the old man turned to look at him.

"Ah, hello there." He smiled.

Trunks nodded a little bit, as Fasha left the room. The old man seemed nice enough, but Trunks had been a slave long enough to not trust that. He walked over to Trunks and offered his hands out.

"Here, I'll take those." He said, removing the armor and Trunks' shirt from his grip. Trunks allowed them to be taken but said nothing. The man just smiled. "You can relax, son. No one is going to hurt you here; this is a healing room after all. Pain would be counter-productive." He turned around and set the armor and shirt on a table. "I'm Planthorr, and as long as you're in this room, you are safe."

Trunks visibly relaxed, and nodded a little bit. "Thank you."

Planthorr smiled at him and turned back to the healing pod. He fumbled with a few wires and buttons a moment, with old and knobby fingers. He sighed and Trunks was about to offer his assistance when Planthorr turned to another room connected to the one they were in and called out. "Child, would you help me with this?"

Trunks looked over as a girl walked in backwards, carrying a large box. She set it down and turned around, smiling. "Sure, I don't… Trunks?"

Trunks took a step backwards, shock expressed clearly on his face. "Videl!"

Videl stood there, staring at him, with one hand over her mouth, confusion and shock just as evident on her face as it was on his. Planthorr looked between the two and cleared his throat. "You two know each other then?"

"Ye… yes." Videl said, looking over. "We both come from the same planet."

"Oh, what a coincidence!" Planthorr said, smiling.

Trunks was hardly listening. He took a step forwards. "Videl, what are you doing here?"

Videl pulled her heightened collar down to reveal the metal one around her neck. "Same as you." She said walking over. "I've been helping down here, in the healing room and sometimes upstairs with training." She walked forwards. "Are you a battle slave?" She asked, looking him up and down. Trunks understood her confusion. He had been trained for physical labor, and not indoor work. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Something like that." He smiled. "I'm glad to see you're alright… The last I heard from you was when your father was…" Trunks' words died in his mouth when he remembered what exactly had happened. He saw the pain in her eyes and frowned, looking away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No, it's alright." Videl shook his head. "If he hadn't been such a braggart, then it wouldn't have…"

Trunks shook his head. "It's just who he was. You can't blame him for that."

"You can't deny that if he hadn't claimed to be the champion of the earth, and said he would singlehandedly defeat every Saiyan, that he would still be alive." Videl said, looking up at him.

"I can't deny that." Trunks admitted. "But, still, to do otherwise just wouldn't have been him." He smiled a little and walked over. "I'm sorry we couldn't save him."

Videl shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "It's alright." She said, looking up at him. "We shouldn't talk about depressing things like that. I'll have time to mourn my father properly once we sort this whole mess out." Trunks nodded. That was the spirit. Planthorr had gone back to the healing tanks, and Videl looked up at him, and folded her arms. "No word on Gohan, then?"

Trunks shook his head. "Not that I know of." He said, frowning. Videl visibly deflated and Trunks put a hand on her shoulder. "He'll come, Videl. Him, and Piccolo, and Goku. They're not going to leave us here." He spoke with more resolve than he felt. Piccolo had taken Gohan and Goku off to the heavenly realm to train, or in Goku's case fight off his illness. He had taken them as soon as the invasion started, knowing full well that with their power they couldn't defeat the Saiyans all on their own. He had tried to take Trunks and Goten, but they had refused, claiming that someone needed to stay on Earth to fight and show the Saiyans it wouldn't be as easy as they thought. And they had. Trunks and Goten had been a mighty force to be reckoned with, but they couldn't protect everyone, and eventually the Saiyans had won.

"Of course he is." Videl said, smiling. "They all are." She slapped Trunks shoulder playfully and jerked a thumb at the healing pod. "Lets get you fixed up then." She turned around and walked over to Planthorr and took over the jobs he could not do with her nimble fingers. "Have you ever been in one before, Trunks?" She asked.

Trunks shook his head. "No, never." He said, walking up to it.

Videl turned and pushed a button and the glass case raised it self up. She pointed a small raised platform in the middle. "You can sit on that."

Trunks climbed in and sat down. He noticed a grey tube coming from the bottom of the tank with a breathing mask attached to it. Videl nodded for him to put it on and Trunks picked it up. There was a smaller tube sticking from the inside of the breathing mask, and he put it over his mouth and nose and bit down on it. Videl pushed a button and the glass case closed over him.

"This is going to be kind of cold." She said, smiling at him a little bit through the glass.

The tank began to fill with bright blue-green liquid, and Trunks body tensed reflexively. He took deep breaths through the mask, which was pumping oxygen into his lungs, and calmed himself down as the tub filled rather quickly. It got up to his chest, and he instinctively raised his head as it filled over him. He took some more deep breaths, reminding himself that he could breath, and he felt his wounds start to tingle. The pain felt like it was evaporating. He could feel his muscles unclench and tissue was rebuilding itself. He closed his eyes and reveled in the feeling. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad being here after all.

* * *

><p>Vegeta walked back into his chambers and shut the door behind him. He put a hand on the side of his neck and cracked it. It had been a while since he'd had an entire day for just training. Being the prince didn't leave you with a whole lot of down time. Still, he was the prince, and people knew better than to disrupt him while he was training. It had also been a long time since he'd had a sparring partner who had been on almost even ground with him. Although Vegeta had not used his Ki, the boy had still managed to impress him. He pulled his armor off and tossed it next to the bed. He stretched his arms over his head, listening as the popped in response to the pressure. He frowned at the sound of a knock at the door and groaned. He was tired of interruptions.<p>

"Enter." He snapped. The door opened and Nappa walked in, looking a little bit smug. Vegeta scowled at him. "What?" He demanded.

"Will we be going out to buy a new slave then, Vegeta?" He asked, still looking like he had won an argument before it had started.

Vegeta snorted pulling on another shirt. "No."

"No?"

"No." Vegeta affirmed. "The boy's still alive."

Nappa's jaw dropped. "You… did not kill him?" He asked, disbelief evident in his voice. Vegeta shot him a glare and Nappa fumbled over his words. "I mean to say, um… he didn't die?" He couldn't phrase it differently.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "No, I didn't kill him, and no he did not die. That is what I meant by 'he's still alive', Nappa."

"I thought for sure he wouldn't be strong enough to withstand that kind of training." Nappa said, watching his prince move to the other side of the room.

Vegeta smirked pulling his gloves off. "So you doubted my choices, Nappa? That's not very encouraging."

"That is not what I meant, your highness." Nappa bowed. "It's just… he is a human." He said, raising his head.

Vegeta frowned, kicking his boots off. "Yes… I know." His brow furrowed in contemplation. During his time on Earth he had never met a human with power levels close to what this boy had. That was of course barring Kakarot. Vegeta had never told anyone of the renegade Saiyan who lived on Earth, who he had come across. Vegeta had met him when he crashed on the planet, and had recognized him by his designation. He remembered Raditz talking about his brother being sent there and had easily been able to put two and two together. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He thought back to that small blue planet and his thoughts eventually landed on _her_.

"Bulma…" He whispered.

"Prince Vegeta?"

"What?" He looked over at Nappa. "Are you still here?" He glared. "Get out, already!"

Nappa bowed and left and Vegeta turned away from the door as it shut. He closed his eyes and thought of her. He grimaces and grabbed his cape from his back, pulling it off. Did he miss her? "No." He snapped to no one in particular. "I am the prince of Saiyans. I do _not_ miss that vulgar woman."

But he did. He missed the way she would challenge him. He missed the way she would pound her fists against his chest when she was angry, and the adoring way she would look at him when she wasn't. He tossed the cape over the chair and stormed over to his bathroom.

"Ridiculous." He snarled. He affirmed that he had to have left her. Saiyans were to care for nothing except the thrill of battle. He had to leave to keep his pride and honor as a prince. She had made him weak. She had made him soft. And yet somehow she had made him so much _better_.

The boy's eyes were a painful reminder. But Vegeta had since found, that it was a pain he wanted, and a reminder of a memory that part of him was scared to be without.


	8. Helping Hands and New Laid Plans

Trunks had tried to sleep in, he honestly had. Sadly that was a difficult endeavor. Being a harvest ox has programmed him to wake up hours before sunrise, and go to bed hours after sunset. His body had somehow become accustomed to recharging and refreshing itself after only a couple hours of sleep. So when he had been told to go to bed, and told he could have an even eight hours of sleep his body rebelled. So he stayed awake, well into the night, balancing on one hand and lowering himself up and down in a vertical push up. When he had finally allowed himself to go to sleep he woke up hours before anyone else was awake, so he went back to working out. He sighed and wondered if he'd ever be able to get back to a semi-normal sleep schedule, but it didn't seem likely. Two years of habit was going to be hard to break.

He stood up again, and rotated his shoulders. He walked over to a small basin meant to be some sort of sink, and washed his face off. He smiled and stood up straight. Bathing in the fields was twenty or so slaves standing in a small wooden construct with a bucket of already filthy water, and one sponge between them. Trunks had had a half Saiyan immune system, so he had managed to stay healthy, but it wasn't uncommon for slaves to die of minor infections and the like. So having his own room, clothes that fit, and clean water to wash himself off, was like a gift from god to Trunks.

He slid his shirt over his head and walked from his room towards the common room again. He yawned and wondered absently if that breakfast was an everyday thing. He opened the door and his eyes caught sight of the table laden with food. It was. Fasha looked over at him.

"You're going to be the first one up every morning, aren't you?"

"It looks that way." Trunks smiled and Fasha rolled her eyes turning away. Trunks walked over to the table laden with food and was determined not to eat as much this time. Still that plan went out the window as soon as he tasted it. He smiled and kept eating.

"You know, you're a palace slave now." Fasha said, watching him. "You know when your next meal is coming."

Trunks looked over at her and swallowed. "Old habits die hard." He said, frowning. "In fact sometimes they're nearly immortal."

"Weren't you ever fed in the fields?" Fasha smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sometimes." Trunks nodded. "Not every day." And sometimes he doubted the food they were given was actually food at all. He grimaced at the memory and stood up straight. He sat down on one of the benches and closed his eyes, trying to get some more rest before he had to go. The other slaves filed in and Trunks opened his eyes to see if he could see Videl. She didn't come, and Trunks made a mental note to go by to see her again tonight. Especially if they were going to be training again today, he wouldn't mind another round in the healing tank. It had certainly felt good. The other slaves ate and mingled about a few minutes, and Trunks kept his eyes shut. It wasn't until the light flickered on and Trunks could sense the others leaving that he stood up. He was pretty sure he remembered the way back to Vegeta's room, as he doubted Nappa would be there today. He stood up and walked out with the rest. He was right, Nappa was nowhere to be seen, and part of Trunks was grateful. He made his way back to Vegeta's room and was easily able to pick it out from the elegant design on the doors.

Trunks stood in front of the door for a few seconds unsure of what to do. Knock or wait. With Vegeta it was always better to play it safe, but then again there seemed to be a lot of instances where one was right and the other was wrong, so there was no play it safe. He sighed and as he was about to raise his hand to knock, the door opened. Trunks hastily stepped back as Vegeta opened the door. Trunks bowed deeply and Vegeta waved his hand. "Stand up."

Trunks obeyed and Vegeta started walking. No words passed between them as Trunks followed. He noticed they weren't going the same way they had been yesterday and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. If all he had to do was training, then this would be an easy job. Unfortunately, this seemed to not be the case. Vegeta led him to a pair of doors and stopped turning around. "Listen here, boy." He snapped. "Your job when you're behind these doors is simple. Do whatever I tell you, and keep your damn mouth shut. Got it?"

Trunks nodded quickly. Somehow he doubted it was that easy, but if it was, then hey. All the better. He followed Vegeta in and noticed it was a sort of study. There were books and pieces of paper and a desk in the middle. Nappa stood in the room talking to another pair of guards, when Vegeta walked in. They all bowed, and Vegeta waved them up. "Any news?"

One of the guards saluted. "Sir, we have word on Freeza."

Vegeta's ears instantly perked. "And?"

"His men purged one of our planets last night, sir."

Vegeta's face turned dark. "Which one?"

"Krill."

Vegeta swore in a language Trunks didn't understand. He rubbed his chin, and took a few steps forward. "Send patrols out to Krill, and make sure Freeza knows that we're not blind. An eye for an eye after all. If this is how he wants to play the game, show him we Saiyans are more than happy to oblige."

The man saluted and then bowed. "Yes sir." He then left the room. Vegeta walked and sat down at the desk and Trunks followed standing behind the chair as some of the other slaves had instructed him to do. Nappa was glaring at him, and Trunks had a feeling he knew why. He had cost him one hundred Zeni after all. He ignored Nappa and pursed his lips, his ears on alert for anything that might happen.

Nappa walked over and handed Vegeta a few forms, and then walked back to stand at the door in complete silence. Then the door opened and a man with wild hair and armor stormed in before leaning against one of the bookshelves. Trunks jumped a little preparing for something to happen, but Vegeta and Nappa ignored it.

Vegeta looked over some more papers and smirked. "Something wrong, Raditz?" He asked smugly.

The man, Raditz, snorted. "It's this damn water plant business. I'm sick of it."

Nappa laughed and folded his arms. "It's your own damn fault for being sent there in the first place." He said, leaning back onto another bookshelf.

Raditz scowled and noticed Trunks standing there. He pointed. "Who the hell is this?"

Vegeta didn't look up, and just lifted a stack of papers up and held it over his shoulders. Trunks grabbed it hastily and Vegeta pointed to another stack on the floor in the corner. "Put that over there." Trunks nodded and walked over as Nappa answered.

"That's Vegeta's new one. He's an earthling."

"An Earthling?" Raditz said, looking over eyeing Trunks up and down. "Good god, they're everywhere." He snorted disdainfully. "There's an earthling down at the water plant that father is especially stressed over. He ran up to him the first day, calling him father. The little punk must have lost his mind." He practically spat.

"No kidding." Nappa said, smirking. "So what did you do?"

"I roughed the kid up a little." Raditz said. "Before my father stopped me." He growled a little bit. "Still, I got the kid's name and ID now, and father won't be there to save him next time. I plan on getting some truth out of little Goten."

A loud smack echoed through the room and they all turned to look at Trunks who had dropped the stack of papers he was holding. Luckily they had been heavy enough to not scatter everywhere. He was shaking a moment, before he realized what had happened and he reached down and gathered the papers up into his arms. The three Saiyans in the room looked away from him, ignoring him and went back to talking. Trunks was no longer listening. Goten, he had not heard wrong. The man in the corner named Raditz had definitely said Goten.

Trunks stacked the papers up on top of each other and walked over to Vegeta's chair again. He momentarily tuned them out, and reached out with his Ki as much as he could. He felt around the planet for his best friend's Ki and was shocked to find it was so close. They had never been this close together before, and Trunks' heart soared. It pounded against his rib cage as he pulled himself back to reality. Things were really looking up for him.

* * *

><p>Goten winced and grabbed the hot metal of the valve and twisted it as hard as he could. He grimaced and pulled back and looked at the fresh burns on his palms. He sighed and looked for something to wrap them with, but saw nothing. Another slave looked up at him and frowned. "It's still going!" He called up.<p>

Goten silently cursed his inhuman strength. Whenever a pipe burst or broke, he was the first to be called to grab the scalding valves to shut them off. He braced himself, grabbed the valve and twisted it as hard as he possibly could. The thing budged slowly and Goten left a trail of blood on it as it burned his skin clean off. He finally managed to shut it off, and he pulled his hands back, and winced at the ugly state they were in. He jumped down and looked the pipe over. It had cracked and burst at the seams, which was hardly surprising. It was rusted behind recognition and hardly up to code. The other slave looked at his hands.

"Oh man…" He said, turning away. "Um… maybe you can go get them wrapped or…"

Goten smiled. "Don't worry about it, I've had worse. I'll go find something to wash them with." He looked the pipe over. "Do you have things covered over here?" He asked, hoping to god they said yes.

"Of course. You go get your hands taken care of."

Goten nodded, very grateful, and turned to walk away. He walked back towards their sleeping quarters. The one good thing about working in a water plant was that there was at least plenty of water to go around. He winced and pushed the door with his elbow, which was a hard endeavor but he finally managed. He walked towards the back and sighed when he noticed the knob to turn the flow of cold water. The last thing he wanted was to have to twist a knob. His fingers ached at the thought of it, and Goten contemplated if he could manage to twist it with his forearms. This proved to be unnecessary, as a large rough hand reached over and twisted the knob for him.

Goten smiled in relief. "Thank you—" He looked up at the man who had helped him and saw Bardock looking down at him. He swallowed his words and held his hands under the mercifully ice cold water. He smiled at the instantaneous relief it brought him, and the last thing he wanted was to go back to work and remove them.

Bardock looked him over and sneered. "Can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

"It's just part of the job." Goten answered, looking up at him sideways. "It's not trouble."

Bardock reached under the water and grabbed his wrist pulling it back. He examined Goten's hand and Goten pulled back and put them back under the water. He looked up at Bardock suspiciously and then turned back to the water. Bardock grinned, looking a bit amused. "Come with me." He ordered turning around.

Goten looked up at him, and frowned. "I can't."

"Just do it." Bardock said, starting to walk.

"I have to…"

Bardock reached over and grabbed the back of Goten's ripped and ragged shirt and pulled him back. Goten gasped and struggled. "Hey!" He protested, lamely. Bardock didn't pay any attention to his cries and dragged him backwards. He dragged him into a darkened room with a table and several cabinets. He pointed at the table.

"Sit." Goten frowned and eyed the door. Bardock looked amused, and folded his arms. "You can run, if you really want to, but I guarantee I'm faster."

Goten relented, with the collar he could only run so quickly. He hoisted himself onto the table and sat down, glaring at Bardock. He wasn't sure what was going to happen here, but he still didn't trust him very much. Bardock pulled out a vial from the cabinet. He walked over to Goten and grabbed his wrist and twisted it so his palm was facing upwards. He poured the vial's contents over Goten's burned and bloodied hand, and Goten gasped at the cold that accompanied it. Bardock gave his other hand the same treatment and then walked over to a drawer and started rummaging through it. Goten looked at his hands, awed. The pain was practically gone, and the cuts were knitting themselves back together, and fresh new skin was growing over the burns. Soon his hands were just a bit red and blistered. Bardock walked back over holding a white roll of bandages and wrapped them around Goten's palms.

Goten frowned and looked up at Bardock. "Why are you helping me?"

Bardock didn't answer. He just finished wrapping Goten's right hand and then wrapped his other. Goten frowned up at him, and Bardock remained silent. Finally he finished and tied the bandages to keep them in place. "It's the fluid from the healing tanks." He explained. "It's lucky that they have some here." He said quickly, releasing Goten's hand. "Though some of your healing can be attributed to genetics."

Goten's head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes at Bardock. "Genetics-?"

"Saiyans heal much quicker than others, after all."

Goten's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't know. There was no way Bardock could possibly know. He had never told anyone, and his accelerated healing alone couldn't have tipped him off. So then how? How did he know? Goten fumbled for words. "I'm not a…"

"I know you are." Bardock interrupted him smoothly. "You're a Saiyan. Or at least half."

Goten's eyes widened even more and he wanted to shrink into the table and disappear. "Who told you that?"

"Your blood told me that."

"My-" A wave of realization washed over him. He remembered Bardock wiping all the blood off his face with that cloth, and he jumped off the table, curling his fists. "That was why you helped me!" He pointed accusingly. "To get my blood!"

Bardock shrugged. "So what if it was?"

Goten squatted into a defensive position. "Well if you're going to kill me, then get ready. I'm not going down without a fight." Goten blinked in surprise at the shock he saw on Bardock's face, but then reformed his resolve when he saw it change to amusement.

"Why the hell would I heal you, just so I could kill you?"

"Cause you Saiyans are a bunch of lunatics!" Goten snapped, clenching his fists, which felt a lot better.

"You're half Saiyan."

"I am nothing like you!" Goten yelled, standing up straight. "I'm nothing like any of you! I was raised on Earth! I was taught to protect people! You guys are… Space Pirates! You're scum!"

Goten could tell it was nothing that Bardock hadn't heard before. In fact, Bardock was smirking. "What about your father, is he the same?"

Something inside Goten snapped and he lunged forwards, throwing a punch straight at Bardock's face. The punch connected and Bardock took a step back, not looking very phased. "Don't you dare talk about my father!" Goten yelled. "My father was a good man!" He blinked and curled his fists, closing his eyes to keep his tears back. "He still is a good man!" He was going to fight off that illness. "He's going to come here and save me! He's stronger than anyone here!"

"Is he really?" Goten looked up at Bardock who had raised an eyebrow. "Then he's gotten stronger from the last time I saw him. Though that's not really a fair comparison. He was only a baby."

Goten took a step back. "You… you don't know…"

"More than you think."

Goten felt the tears spill down his cheeks. This man, who looked just like his father, who had shown him some amount of concern, was now claiming to know his father. He shook his head. "You're lying!"

Bardock folded his arms. "If that's what you want to think." He walked forwards and put a hand on Goten's head. "Don't cry. Saiyans don't cry."

"I'm not crying." Goten raised his hand and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand. "And I'm not a Saiyan."

"Course you're not, kid. Course you're not." Bardock didn't move his hand as Goten's shoulders continued to hitch and he held his arm over his eyes. "What's your name?"

"Goten."

"Well, Goten. Keep your head down. Stay out of trouble, and I'll take care of you."

"Why?" Goten looked up at him.

"I don't really know."

Goten looked up, and rubbed his face off. He smiled a little bit. "Fair enough."


	9. Tyrant's Schemes and Ripping Seams

There was just something about the look of space that was incredibly appealing. It represented the infinite, the untouchable space. It was the very essence of unattainability, mystery, and impossibility. And that was precisely why Freeza wanted to rule over every last bit of it. He twisted the wine glass around, rotating its contents and staring out into the void. He leaned back into his chair, and closed his eyes, smiling a little bit as he did. Another thing he enjoyed about space was the absolute silence that accompanied it.

Then there was a knock at the door.

Freeza's tail twitched and he screwed his eyes shut. "What?"

"Lord Freeza," Zarbon's unmistakable voice came from the other side of the door. "I have information about the planet Krill."

Freeza sighed and looked at the wine glass. "Come in, Zarbon."

Zarbon opened the door and came in, dropping to one knee, and folding a hand over his chest. "Lord Freeza, the planet Krill was purged of all life, as you ordered." He said, raising his head a bit.

"Good, but hardly note worthy." He could practically hear Zarbon wince. He sighed and gripped the wine glass a little too tightly. "But?"

"The planet was destroyed. A few of our men were on it at the time, no one irreplaceable."

"Destroyed?" Freeza turned around, narrowing his eyes. "By whom?"

"The Saiyans, sir."

Freeza snapped the wine glass in half and it shattered, it's contents spilling down the side of his chair. He narrowed his eyes and shook his hand off, letting it recline next to him. "Those filthy monkeys. They're getting braver, aren't they?"

Zarbon raised his head and frowned a bit. "Yes sir."

Freeza turned his chair and scowled. "One little victory and they start getting arrogant, how like them." He sighed and leaned into his armrest. "Open a transmission to Planet Vegeta." He snapped. "I want a few words with the monkeys."

Zarbon bowed his head again. "Yes sir, Lord Freeza."

Freeza sighed and looked up at the screen, as it turned black, preparing for a transmission. He was getting tired of those monkeys filling up his space. Something had to be done.

* * *

><p>"Prince Vegeta!" A slave ran into the study room, gasping and resting his hands on his knees. Vegeta looked up at the slave, and glared. He was busy, and normally slaves knew better than to bother him when he was busy. Still this one looked particularly distressed. Vegeta set down the piece of documentation he'd been working on, and stood up.<p>

"What is it?"

The slave stood up straight, and gasped for breath. "Your highness, a transmission came for you…"

Vegeta glared. Was that all? The slave should know better. He scowled angrily and began devising punishments. "Well? Give it to an advisor! I'm busy!"

"It's from Freeza, your highness."

Vegeta's breath caught in his throat, and all thought of punishing the slave was driven out of his mind. He grinned and walked out from behind his desk, and clapped the slave on the shoulder. "Well done." He smirked. He looked back. "Nappa, Raditz, take care of things here."

The two bowed, and Vegeta turned to the boy who was still standing behind his chair. He snapped his fingers and motioned for him to follow. "Boy, you come with me." The boy looked a bit surprised, but ran up to follow him anyways. Vegeta turned and walked out the door, smirking. So the coward was finally making a move. It had taken him long enough, and Vegeta silently wished he had been the one to encroach on Freeza's territory. He walked down towards the throne room where the transmission was being held. He was caught off guard when the boy spoke.

"May I ask a question, sir?"

"What?" Vegeta snapped.

"If Freeza is as powerful as everyone says he is, why is he only making small moves like this?"

Vegeta stopped in his tracks and looked back at the boy. "What?"

"From what I understand…" The boy said, looking confused. "Krill was a planet on the edge of both territories. So Freeza must have thought you wouldn't notice him taking it over."

"But we did." Vegeta snapped, not understanding where this was going.

"Well, yes, but if Freeza is so powerful, why is he taking over planets he doesn't think will matter?"

The question hit Vegeta like a ton of bricks. Now that he thought about it, it didn't make any sense. He shook his head. "He's a coward, and he fears us." He brushed it off.

He could tell by the look on the boy's face that he didn't think that was it. Vegeta folded his arms and gave a gesture, prompting the boy to speak. "If he's afraid, why is he contacting you?"

The more Vegeta looked at it, the less sense it made. He didn't want to confess he didn't really know the answer, so he folded his arms. "You have a theory?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "Not really, I was just curious."

"Out with it, boy. Don't try my patience."

Trunks looked hesitant, but was finally coerced into speaking. "Well, if he was trying to take over planets without you knowing … and now if he's contacting you... It's like he thinks he doesn't even need to fight to take over your… er… kingdom."

A look of realization dawned on Vegeta. The sneaky bastard. What the kid was saying made sense. Freeza wasn't stupid. He knew if he came in and took a critically important planet, the Saiyans would leap at the opportunity to go to war, but over little planets, like Krill, there was no battle to be had, even if they had noticed. He could go on, unchallenged, taking from the Saiyans, sneaking his way into their kingdom until he was ready to take one of those critically important ones. Vegeta folded his arms, and smirked. The boy had proved useful once again. He turned on his heel and started walking, beckoning for the boy to follow.

He reached the throne room and stood in front of the large screen, which was blackened in stand by mode. He nodded for a technician to start the transmission, and Freeza's face came into view almost instantly. Vegeta folded his arms and his tail twitched behind him angrily, at seeing the tyrant's face. Freeza smiled at him and leaned back into his throne.

"Why, Prince Vegeta, long time no see."

Vegeta said nothing, only stared at the tyrant who only smirked wider.

"I believe you're supposed to reciprocate the greeting, Prince."

Vegeta scoffed. "I've got no time for petty things like this, Freeza. What is it you want?"

Freeza looked genuinely offended. "Why, my dear Prince! I take time out of my busy schedule to call you, and you call it petty? I'm insulted, Vegeta. I truly am."

"And I'm insulted you thought you could take one of my planets and I wouldn't notice." Vegeta countered evenly, not willing to play any of Freeza's games. Freeza just grinned and leaned his chin into his hand.

"Oh, yes, Krill." He said, smiling widely. "A worthless little planet on the boarder, it must have slipped my mind that it belonged to you."

"Yes, well as slippery as your memory may be, I'm not going to stand for this. This is yet another act of war you've committed against the Saiyans."

"Oh, dear lord, Vegeta." Freeza rolled his eyes. "Are you _still_ going on about that? Let it go, grudges are unsightly." He said, waving his hand. "Besides, did you forget that you won that little scuffle?" He said smirking. "What more do you have to prove? I yielded victory, did I not?"

"Yes, and then you fled, and now you're stealing planets from me."

"Ah yes, back to the main issue." Freeza said, folding his arms. "You know, you could have just asked for it back, Vegeta." He said, smirking, and rising out of his chair. "There was no need to blow it up."

"Its only use was for its inhabitants, which were purged, I no longer needed it." Vegeta said, a wicked grin crossing his face. "It was merely pure luck that I managed to demolish a few of your men while doing it."

"You're like a child, you know. 'If I can't have it, no one can'? Honestly, you must not have been very popular in the sand box as a child."

"Did you call me just make playful banter, or is there a purpose to all this?"

"Oh very well, Vegeta." Freeza said, rolling his eyes again. "Yes, there's a purpose. I want to put this entire vengeful childish feud behind us. If we can't talk like civilized adults here, then I'll have no choice but to stoop to your level and settle this like children do."

"My level?" Vegeta snarled, the fur on his tail bristling angrily. "I'm sorry, but it seems to me you're insulting, and threating me, all while saying you'd like to make peace."

"It's not a threat, my dear monkey Prince." Freeza said shaking a finger, as one would do to a small child. "It's a warning." He smiled. "And a promise."

"I don't like warnings. I tend to take them to heart."

"So I noticed." Freeza said, leaning back into his chair. "Well, think about my words, Vegeta. I'll be in touch."

With that the transmission ended, and Vegeta coiled his tail around his waist. No one was going to get the better of him on this, least of all Freeza. If it was a war Freeza wanted, it was a war Freeza was going to get. And one way or another, Vegeta was going to end up on top.


	10. Fabeled Ascension and Rising Tension

Usually the difference between planets was less than subtle. On Namek the grass had been blue, the sky green, the frogs purple, and the people more than a little bit different. It was easy to remember that you were on another planet, with the trees circular, and the three suns hovering in the sky. But this planet was too much like earth. The grass was green, and landscapes were similar to his beloved planet. The only thing that was wrong about this planet was the sky was a bright shade of purple rather than a light blue. Sure the twelve or more moons hovered in the sky, visible even in the daylight. But they looked close enough to Earth's moons, that the resemblance left him a little uneasy. He took a deep breath, and tightened his arms, trying to regain his composure. He had been up here for two, almost three years, and he still wasn't entirely comfortable. It was distracting at best, and he didn't like it. Still he supposed he should count himself lucky, he did make it out easiest. Though that was hardly a consolation.

It had been one of the toughest decisions of Gohan's life to leave his mother and brother and take his father off with Piccolo, so that he could train. He knew he had not been strong enough to take on the Saiyans, and there was no way he could have possibly been a help. He would only have been captured and would be no use to anyone. Still, he had protested Goten's decision to stay behind, but Goten had been adamant, swearing he had to protect their mother, and would give the Saiyans a rough time if no one else would. Gohan frowned as his thoughts turned to his brother. He prayed daily that he was all right, and that his mother was safe as well. Still there didn't seem to be much hope. Piccolo tried to console him several times, saying his brother was strong, and would not die very easily. He was right of course. Goten was strong, and more often than not Gohan had been amazed by the strides his little brother took. The same went for Trunks. The two of them were a force to be reckoned with, but the Saiyans had numbers and sheer brute force on their side. They had been no match.

"Your Ki is wavering again, Gohan. I told you to keep it steady."

Gohan looked up to his mentor, and smiled. "I'm sorry, Piccolo." He said, lowering his head. "I got caught up in my thoughts."

"You got distracted." Piccolo said, folding his arms. "When you're meditating, you're supposed to be focusing. I want you to be able to control every part of your energy, your life force. If you can do that, we'll be able to move on to the next stage."

Gohan nodded and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, I'll try again."

Piccolo nodded and watched his charge. Gohan had been ready to grab control of his Ki again when a voice from behind spoke up, cheerily. "Don't be so hard on him, Piccolo. It's alright to let your mind wander every once in a while."

Gohan turned around and smiled brightly. "Father!" He stood up. "You're up. How do you feel?"

"Much better, Gohan, thanks." Goku said folding his arms. "I see your training is coming along. I think I might be able to join you soon."

Gohan grinned. "I'd like that, father."

A swift knock to the head brought Gohan's mind back to what he was supposed to be doing. He held his head and looked up at Piccolo who was glaring at him. "You're supposed to be training."

Gohan smiled sheepishly, and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, sorry."

Goku waved his hand and sat down on a rock near by. "Let him take a break, Piccolo."

"We don't have time for breaks. Or has that disease fried what little brain cells you had left?"

"I know, I know." Goku said, frowning. "But it won't help if all he does is work himself into the ground." He said, looking over at his son. Gohan shook his head.

"It's alright father, I don't mind."

Gohan sat down again, and took a deep breath. He began to seize control of his Ki again, and he continued to breath deeply. He refused to let his mind wander, and he focused only on his breathing and Ki. Normally a warrior's Ki fluctuated like a flame in the wind. Burning upwards, and wavering. Gohan forced himself to envision his Ki, burning around him like a campfire, and he brought it down, to a flicker. It whipped about and wavered a few moments more before coming to a complete calm, steady around him like a soft glow. It pulsed before it was entirely still. The world seemed to stop to Gohan, as he exerted more control over his Ki, over every inch of it, seizing it and making it still. He brought it down deep within himself, lowering it, masking it and forming it into a ball deep within his chest. He took one last deep breath before his body fell completely still. The world around him melted away, and in his mind he felt the full extent of his power. He concentrated in on it, and the orb of energy inside him began to melt and stretch into his body, pushing its way even into his fingers. Then with as suddenly as a shotgun going off, his Ki exploded around him. It rushed heavenwards, and he opened his eyes revealing their transformation to a teal color. His hair whipped upwards by the force of his Ki and the color began to change at the roots. It became light and it spread up to the tips of his hair, changing it entirely to blond.

He heard his father whistle. "Nice going, Gohan!" He said, clapping. "It's almost entirely natural now! You'll be able to make the change much faster soon."

Gohan looked over at his father and smiled, letting his hair change back and drop down. His Ki subsided and he looked up at Piccolo. "How did I do?"

Piccolo looked away, folding his arms. "There's room for improvement."

Gohan smiled, and stood up. "Okay." He said, putting his hands on his hips. "What should I do then?"

"That's enough for today, you should get some rest." Piccolo said turning around. "I'm going to go see to my own training for a while." He took off, flying away into the sky. Gohan watched him for a few minutes and put his hands on his hips. He looked back at his father.

"You're looking much better, father." He said, walking over to him.

"Thanks. I've had more than enough time to recuperate, and Bulma's antidote really worked wonders." He said flexing. He frowned suddenly and stared at the ground. "I just wish it had worked sooner."

"Things don't always happen when we want them to, father." Gohan said, walking over. "We just have to do the best we can with what we have."

Goku smiled and put a hand on his hip. "What's this? I leave you with Piccolo for a while and suddenly you become all wise on me?"

Gohan laughed and put a hand behind his head. "More or less."

Goku smiled and sat down again, motioning Gohan to do the same. Gohan sat next to his father and folded his fingers. Goku looked over at him and put a hand on his eldest son's head. "How are you sleeping?"

"Fine."

"You're lying." Goku said, holding a finger up. "I can tell." He leaned back onto his palms. "Nightmares?"

"Sometimes." Gohan said raising his hands to his mouth. "Sometimes I just lay there and worry."

"About Goten and Chichi?"

"And Trunks and Bulma, and all our friends."

"I know. I worry too." Goku looked up at the sky. "But they're all stronger than we give them credit for. I'm sure they're doing fine."

Gohan looked over and frowned at his father. "… Do you ever think we should have told Trunks?"

"About what?"

"You know what."

Goku didn't look away from the sky. "Vegeta?"

Gohan looked away. "Yeah."

"It wasn't for us to tell. That was up to Bulma."

"But he had a right to know that his father was prince of the race who-"

"Vegeta didn't have anything to do with that."

"What do you mean?" Gohan looked over, shocked. "Of course he did! He's the one who-"

"Nope." Goku said, flopping back into the grass, putting his hands behind his head. "We would have been invaded a lot sooner if Vegeta had been the one who ordered it. No, I think he wanted to leave Earth alone." Goku narrowed his eyes. "After all, Vegeta did love her. In his own way."

"He wouldn't have left if he did."

"Vegeta's a complicated guy, I don't think we understand everything." Goku said, sighing. "But, you're right, I think Trunks did have a right to know. And Bulma probably thinks so too, now. But there's nothing we can do, for now. Bulma was hurt, and wanted to forget him. So we respected that. No one thought the Saiyans were going to take over Earth." Goku sat up again. "We'll tell Trunks when we see him again, or let Bulma handle it, depending on what comes first."

"And Goten, we should tell Goten too."

"Right." Goku smiled. "Of course, Trunks would tell him anyways. Those two are practically attached at the hip."

Gohan grinned at the thought and folded his hands over his knees. "Yeah, you're right." He said, leaning his head down.

"For now, all we can do is get stronger, and when the time comes we'll go save everyone."

Gohan nodded. That was a strategy he could get behind. He closed his eyes, silently praying for their friends continued safety. He would never forgive himself if something were to happen to his little brother.

* * *

><p>It had taken him almost three hours. It had taken him three hours to search the lowest level of the slave's quarters for a grate that would lead him to the sewers. Trunks crouched down next to the grate he had found in what appeared to be a laundry room. He peeked around the corner, to make sure no one would come in and spot him, and he tapped on the grate, and whistled twice. It took a few minutes before a dirty face showed itself. Trunks smiled and waved. "Hello."<p>

"Hiya. What can I do you for?" The slave asked in a heavily accented voice.

Trunks pulled out a small package he had wrapped in his old clothes, and held it out. "Can you make a delivery for me?" He asked, quietly.

"Where to?"

"The water plant. It shouldn't be too far from here. It's in the same city."

"Ah, yeah, yeah, I know what one your talking about." The slave nodded, putting his hands on his hips. "Who's it for?"

"A boy named Goten." He said.

"Ahh! Goten. Yeah, I know him. He asked for some information a few days ago."

"Really?" Trunks asked, blinking. "On what?"

"A third class named Bardock."

"What for?"

"Dunno, didn't ask. I didn't make the deal anyhow." The boy said, sniffing and rubbing his nose. "Look, you got payment?"

Trunks nodded and grinned. "That I do." He reached around back and pulled out another small package wrapped in brown paper. He slid it through the bars. The slave sniffed it and looked up at Trunks suspiciously.

"What is it?"

"Bread and cheese." Trunks said, folding his arms. "From the royal kitchen itself."

The slave nearly fainted. "Aw, man…" He looked up. "You are officially my new favorite customer." He said, grinning. "For you, if this kid has something to send you, it's on the house."

Trunks nodded. "Much obliged." He said, giving a small half-hearted salute. "I hope we can do business again."

"Me too, man." The boy nodded. "Come back in two days, I'll let you know if he got it."

"Thanks." Trunks stood up and stretched. "I'll be here."

With that, he was gone, and Trunks was left alone in the laundry room. He turned around and left, and shoved his hands into his pockets. He wondered what Goten could possibly be looking for and if he could possibly be any help. He sighed and made his way back to the common room. He would have to see if he could go see Videl today. It was certainly nice, to have someone on his side here. It made him feel much better to know not everyone here couldn't be trusted. He walked back into the common room and was about to head towards the healing room, when he noticed that Videl was already seated at the table laden with food. She looked over and waved him over. "Trunks!" She said, smiling.

Trunks grinned and walked over to her. "Videl, what are you doing here?"

"Eating, obviously. Join me." She patted the bench.

Trunks walked over and sat next to her, taking some food off the table. "It's good to see you again, it's been a long day."

"Has it? You look fine."

"No training today, just… work." He smiled a little. He had liked the training so much more. At least then he could use his muscles, like he had been able to in the fields. He was able to feel like… well a person, rather than a slave, if he was on equal ground with someone. This was just degrading.

"Such is the life of a palace cat, I'm afraid."

Trunks smiled and leaned into the table. "I suppose."

"Palace cat?"

They both looked behind them, and saw Fasha standing there, with her hands on her hips. Both turned bright red and looked back at the table. Videl laughed a little. "Just a joke."

"Hm… He called himself a Harvest Ox and now a Palace Cat?" She asked. "I'm not dumb. What's with the animal names?"

Trunks and Videl exchanged looks. Trunks cleared his throat. "They're just nicknames we use to refer to each other. Working in the fields I was a Harvest Ox, and now being a castle slave, I'm a Palace Cat." He explained. "The sewer workers are Sewer Rats, water plant workers are Boiler Brats, out doors slaves are Garden Foxes, and so on and so forth." Trunks waved a hand.

Fasha raised an eyebrow. She nodded at Videl. "So what are you?"

"I'm a Battle Hound."

"Huh." Fasha folded her arms. "Well that's… special."

Trunks smiled a little bit. "They just sort of stuck. "

Fasha shrugged her shoulders and yawned. "Well you cats and dogs need to go to sleep, because I'm not staying up to watch you." She said, turning around. "So go on, shoo."

Videl laughed a little and grabbed a roll of bread. "Yes ma'am." She said, standing up. "If you meet me tomorrow, I'll see you then, Trunks."

Trunks nodded and stood up. "Okay, see you then." He watched her walk away and then headed towards his own room. He stretched a little bit and flopped over onto his cot. He smiled into the pillow and found he was unusually tired. He wondered if he would be able to get an even eight hours of sleep tonight. It would certainly make for a nice change. He curled up, pulling the blanket over himself, and allowed himself to drift. He thought of Goten and he frowned a little bit, wondering just who this Bardock was and why Goten wanted information on him. He hoped he was okay, and keeping out of trouble as much as was possible for someone like Goten, but the odds were stacked against him. Goten was a slacker by nature, a good-tempered joker who's spirits were near impossible to crush. Trunks imagined this made him a less than favorable slave. He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling as his eyelids drooped closed. He smiled and let them close all the way, finally drifting off in a fitful sleep. There was no such thing as peaceful dreams when one was a slave on Planet Vegeta.


	11. Grandparents and Rare Moments

It had been a few days at least, since Bardock had helped him out back in the infirmary. At first it had left him feeling a little bit uneasy, but after the first day when Bardock hadn't told anyone else of his origins he was able to relax. He still wasn't sure why he was being kind to him, but part of him told him not to question it. If Bardock wanted to help him out and be nice, then who was he to argue? Still the words he had spoken plagued him. He had known his father when he was a baby, so what did that make him? Goten was avoiding all the obvious answers, since it was hardly ever the obvious answers. Still it troubled him.

Goten sat on a pipe alone, munching on the stale and slightly moldy bread they had all been given as rations for the mid-day point. He was used to it by now, and being a growing Saiyan boy, he was prepared to ignore the taste and scarf as much food down as he possibly could. The pipe was only a few feet off the ground, and Goten's feet swung back and forth lazily. It was nice to take a break every now and then, though he found most of his time was comprised of breaks and naps. Whenever they could get away with it, the other slaves followed his example. Goten continued munching on his bread, swallowing roughly. He looked up towards the windows and tried to pin point where the sun was in the sky through the boarded up windows. The best part of every day was the end. But so far it looked like it was only noon. He sighed and leaned back onto the pipe, kicking his legs up and keeping the bread halfway dangling between his teeth.

"So where's your tail?"

Goten turned and looked down, noticing Bardock was standing below him, looking up at him. Goten sat up again, and pulled the bread out of his mouth, swallowing it down. "I wasn't born with one." He said rubbing the small of his back.

"Wasn't born with one, or had it removed at birth?"

"Wasn't born with one." Goten reiterated. "Which is kind of weird, because my brother was." He rubbed the back of his head. "Mom was glad I wasn't though, she had never liked the tails."

Bardock raised an eyebrow. "Brother?"

"Huh?" Goten looked down. "Oh yeah, older." He slid off the pipe and landed next to Bardock. "He's not here though."

"Back on Earth?"

"No. He's training somewhere. With dad."

Bardock nodded and leaned against the metal wall, folding his arms. "I see."

Goten looked up at the older Saiyan and tilted his head. "How do you know my dad?" He asked, frowning. "You said you knew him when he was a baby."

Bardock gave him an incredulous look. "You haven't figured it out yet?"

"Nope."

"… He's my son."

Goten's jaw dropped, and he could only blink, stupefied. "What…? How do you know?"

"Basic logic. My son was sent to earth as a child, and he never completed his mission to destroy it, so he either died or settled down there. And you're a half Saiyan from earth, it's not too hard to put two and two together."

"Well yeah…" Goten rubbed the back of his head. "But didn't a bunch of Saiyans crash land on earth a while ago? That works with when I was born."

"Third class Saiyans are the only ones with my same genetic make up." Bardock said, looking down at Goten, with his arms still folded. "Your father couldn't look like me if he was. Besides, you know your father, and all the Saiyans who crashed there returned here, not to mention you have an older brother, so there's no way it could be anyone else besides Kakarot."

Goten blinked. "Kaka-what?"

"Kakarot."

"What is that, a vegetable?"

"No, that's your father's name." Bardock said, looking down at Goten, frowning.

"My father's name is Goku." Bardock stared at him for a few minutes, looking a little worried and confused. Goten put a finger on his chin. "But now that you mention it… I think my brother did mention that Kaka-whatever thing once or twice… He said other people called dad that."

He could see some sort of relief on Bardock's face. "So he changed his name." He huffed and turned his head away.

"So… if you're my dad's dad… that mean's you're my grandpa!" Goten grinned brightly, and walked over.

Bardock eyed him warily. "I suppose, yes."

"Can I call you Grandpa?"

"No." Bardock snapped, almost instantly after Goten had asked.

"Grand-dad?"

"No."

"Gramps?"

"Absolutely not."

"Pops?"

"A world of no."

"Well then what can I call you?"

"You can call me Bardock."

Goten smiled rubbing the back of his head. "That's no fun. I'm gonna call you Grandpa." He said, smirking.

"You are not." Bardock said, a slight reddish hue coming over his face.

"I have to go back to work, Grandpa." Goten said, a devilish smirk on his face. "I'll see you later." He waved a little and took off running. He could hear Bardock's indignant stutters behind him, and he turned his head in time to see Bardock pointing at him.

"Get back here! You are not going to call me that!"

Goten waved and kept running. "Wow… My grandpa. Wait till I tell Trunks!" He grinned running towards his workstation, or wherever he happened to be needed, but before he managed to reach it, a voice stopped him.

"Hey! Mister Bottomless-Pit!"

Goten turned up and located the slave standing higher up on the boiler. He squinted up at them. "What is it? Need something?"

"Me? Nah." The boy said, waving his hands. "But the Sewer Rats were asking for you."

Goten had almost forgotten he'd asked them for some information on Bardock. He nodded and gave the slave a thumbs up in thanks. He ran towards the grate on the other side of the boiler room. He dropped behind a few pipes, hiding himself. He tapped on the grate twice, brushing his long black hair out of his face and whistling twice. A sewer rat was already waiting there and jumped up. It was the one he had dealt with a while ago.

"Hey ya." She said, smirking.

"Hey." Goten nodded. "What's up?"

"Well, I got two things for ya." She said, adjusting her grip on a package she was holding and looked up. "First off, I got'cha that information on that third class you wanted. Weren't much, ya know." She said shrugging. "I didn't know what'cha wanted."

Goten shook his head. "It's fine, I got most of what I needed already."

"Good, cause all I got'cha was some battle records." She said, shoving a piece of parchment between the bars of the grates. "Also, some palace cat wanted ya to have this." She said, shoving the package through the bars.

"Palace Cat?" Goten turned his head. "What'd he want me to have it for?"

"Dunno. Didn't say nothing, bout it. Just that he wanted Goten from the water plant ta get it." She pointed at the package.

"What'd he look like?"

"Dunno that either." She shrugged. "Didn't make that deal."

"Okay." Goten said, standing up. "Thanks anyway. Do you need payment from me?"

"Nah, got paid separately for this." She said, shaking her head.

"Okay, thanks." Goten nodded. "I'll see you later I guess." He tucked the package under his arm, and watched her vanish. He looked upwards, and grabbed onto a ladder, hoisting himself up. He climbed upwards, all the way to the ceiling, onto his usual rafter, and adjusted himself till he was comfortable. He looked around to make sure he wasn't being watched. He ripped the string off the package, and opened it. Inside was a large roll of bread, fresh and lacking in the distinct mold that usually surrounded the bread he got. Beside that was a small wheel of cheese, wrapped in wax paper, and two apples. Goten nearly fainted. He was so distracted by the food he was staring at that he almost didn't notice the folded piece of paper in the middle. He took it and unfolded it, setting the rest in his lap. His breath caught in his throat at the familiar handwriting.

_Goten, it must be our luck finally turning around that we're so close to one another this time. I was sold to the prince, if you can believe it, and am in the palace. That's the only reason I was able to sneak you that food. You haven't moved have you? I wish we could meet face to face again. –Trunks. _

Goten smiled a little and rubbed his face. It had been a long time since he had heard from his childhood friend, and the experience left him a little emotional. He smiled wider and shoved the note into the back of his pocket. He wrapped the food up as tightly as he could and held it close to him. He would have to share with all the other slaves, and divide it as evenly as he could. He snuck his way back into his room and hid the parcel under his pillow and threw his blanket over it for good measure. He dropped back down and looked around him. He would have to find something to write on later, to return the note. Things were definitely starting to look up. He walked out back into the boiler room and stretched his hands over his head. It felt good, to know his friend was safe. Not to mention the discovery of his grandfather here had left Goten in very high spirits. And nothing, not even another attempt at Raditz to coerce a confession from him, was going to ruin his mood.

* * *

><p>Trunks landed flat on his back, wincing from the force with which he had hit the ground. He sat up, rubbing his jaw, and eyeing the prince who was standing there, cracking his shoulders. "What's the matter boy? Is that all you've got?" The prince taunted, crouching into a fighting stance.<p>

Trunks scowled and jumped up, throwing himself back into the fray between them. The days had passed relatively quickly, and mostly Trunks' duties had been nothing more than making sure Vegeta had everything he needed when he needed it. Needless to say it had been boring as hell. He had been extremely grateful for the excuse to get up and stretch, and spar, as the most he had gotten to use his muscles was his own work out that he did in the privacy of his room. It felt good to cut loose as much as he possibly could, which was still only a fraction of his real power thanks to the collar on his neck. The training kept up well into the day, and both Vegeta and Trunks had managed to inflict a few wounds on the other.

Trunks still felt incredibly limited. On earth he had been able to use his Ki to it's fullest, and now he felt like he was bursting at the edges. He could feel it nipping at the base of his fingers and the fringe of his hairline, begging to be released. Trunks could only imagine Goten felt the same way. The two of them had been incredibly powerful, but still no match for Goku, Gohan and Piccolo. Gohan had made the transformation- or ascension as he called it- to the strange golden haired warrior a few times, and Goku had it down to a point where it was almost as natural as breathing. They had been teaching Trunks and Goten how to achieve this form, before Goku had fallen ill, and before the Saiyans had invaded. They had yet to make the leap, and with the collars it was looking rather impossible.

Trunks rested his hands on his knees, breathing heavily as Vegeta eyed him.

"Worn out already?"

Trunks looked over at the man, and shook his head. "I'll be alright for a while longer." He said, standing up, swallowing hard to wet his throat, and quench the horrifying thirst he was feeling.

Vegeta waved a hand. "We're done for today." He said, shaking his head. "You're not useful if you're exhausted."

Trunks narrowed his eyes indignantly. "I'm not exhausted."

Vegeta snorted and walked back over to the wall of the room, pulling a towel off the rack and slinging it over his shoulder. "Go back to the slave's quarters and get some rest." He ordered. "I won't need anything else tonight."

Trunks remembered his 'manners' and bowed. "Alright, sir." He mumbled under his breath. Vegeta left the room leaving Trunks alone. He sighed and ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair, and walked over to grab a towel off the rack, and use it to dry his face. He sighed, rubbing it through his violet hair, and stiffened at the feeling of a Ki approaching. He looked over in time to see Nappa walk in, and he turned around again, sighing

Nappa walked up to him, and folded his arms. "You know, I have to give you credit." He said, smirking. "You've lasted longer than anyone thought you would."

Trunks tossed the towel into a basket full of them and turned to Nappa. "I told you I might surprise you."

"Yeah, you sure did." He smirked. "Still, I don't think you'll last much longer. Freeza seems to be making his move, and the slaves are always the first ones Vegeta takes it out on."

Trunks furrowed his brow and looked at the door Vegeta had left through. "There's more to their history than the fact that Freeza tried to take over, isn't there?"

"If there is, Vegeta's never mentioned it." Nappa put his hands on his hips. "Don't go digging around for it, either. You're a slave, you've got no business there."

"I wasn't going to." Trunks said, looking back at Nappa out of the corner of his eye. Still he had a hunch something like that wouldn't stay hidden forever. He frowned and began to make his way back to the slaves' quarters, leaving Nappa behind in the training room. He wasn't terribly injured and what cuts and bruises he had could either be covered or would heal just fine by tomorrow. He silently thanked his Saiyan immune system. No matter how good the healing tanks felt, it felt like a waste to him to sit in one for such a small reason. Trunks walked back into the common room and instantly noticed instead of Fasha standing there alone, she was talking to another Saiyan Trunks had never seen before. He decided to ignore it, and go back to his room until he heard a familiar name.

"If you ask me, Bardock is making too big a deal out of it." Fasha said.

The other Saiyan shook his head. "What if the boy is related to Kakarot, though?"

"So what?" She shrugged.

"So they'd be related. He wants to know. Wouldn't you?"

Trunks' hand hesitated on the door handle. Bardock, that was the name of the Saiyan the Sewer Rats said Goten had asked for information on. The other name they said sounded familiar too. Kakarot, where had he heard that before? He decided to slip into his room, and get out of they before they noticed him and thought he was being suspicious. He folded his arms and frowned, pushing himself deep in thought. Kakarot and Bardock. Who were they exactly? And why did Trunks have a feeling that it meant a lot more than it seemed?


	12. Warm Places and Unwelcome Faces

It wasn't very often that Freeza had to dirty his own hands with work, but there was that old saying about wanting something done right. It had been a while since he had purged a planet, and it felt good to get out and stretch a bit. Freeza stood in this midst of the carnage, staring down at his bloodied form. It wasn't his blood, of course, but it still made for a mess. He raised his hand and licked the blood off his fore finger, letting his tail flick behind him lazily. He had forgotten about the therapeutic aspects that came with going to a planet and purging it of all life. There was just something so damn relaxing about the whole thing. Freeza ran his tongue over the rest of his hand, licking the blood off it, as delicately as a cat would clean off it's young. Before he could turn around to head back to his ship, his scouter lit up, and the word "transmission" appeared across its red glass lens. Freeza sighed, recognizing the coordinates, and pushed the button on the side.

"What is it, Zarbon?" He asked examining his hand.

"There's a call for you, Lord Freeza."

"Put it on hold, I'm not going to rush for some a status report." Zarbon hesitated and Freeza groaned reaching up to rub the bridge of his nose between his eyes. "It's from Cooler isn't it?"

"Yes sir."

Freeza groaned again, and let his hand fall. "Very well, I'm on my way." His tail flicked behind him in agitation. Dealing with his brother was the last thing he wanted to be doing at the moment, but sometimes it was necessary. Freeza climbed back into his pod, letting the blood run off him. As soon as the pod reached his space ship, Freeza was out and a few peons were cleaning up. Zarbon stood there, waiting for him. "What's he want now?" Freeza asked, walking forwards. Zarbon turned to follow him, walking a few paces behind.

"He wouldn't say, Lord Freeza."

"Of course he wouldn't."

They both entered the viewing area and Freeza noticed that his brother's face was already filling the screen. He mumbled something about it being typical, after all his brother was never one to be put on hold. Freeza's eyes darkened at the flicker of amusement that crossed his face.

"Your filthy, Freeza. Couldn't you at least have the decency to be clean when you present yourself?"

"I was in the middle of something when you called, Cooler." Freeza replied, calmly. "If you like, you can wait while I go wash up."

"In the middle of something." Cooler echoed. "I will never understand your sadistic games."

"No." Freeza drawled, turning his head. "You would have to have some concept of the word 'fun' to be able to understand."

"Oh, you've been improving on your wit, I see." Cooler leaned forwards in his chair, leaning his arms on the front of it. "But enough of that, Freeza. What's this father's been telling me about you having a problem with these monkeys? Did you know he wants me to step in?"

Freeza's face flushed an alarming shade of red and he gripped his fist indignantly. "Problem?" He spat, his tail striking the floor angrily. "You? Step in!" He was practically hollering. "You insult me, Cooler! I am not having any _problem_ with them, and even if I was I certainly wouldn't need _your_ help!"

Cooler leaned back in his chair, with a smug indifference about him. "Don't be such a little princess, Freeza." He said, snidely. "It's alright to admit if you need help. After all, what else is family for?"

"Target practice?" Freeza suggested, regaining his composure.

"Hilarious as always. Unfortunately, Father is unhappy with the way these Saiyans are carrying on as if they actually own their little part of space. They're getting stronger, and braver, and are becoming more of a problem."

"You don't need to tell me that."

"Apparently I do, because you haven't done anything yet." Cooler raised a finger. "I'm giving you a week to deal with these pests before I step in. A week is fair, don't you think? Unless of course you don't think you can handle it."

"I'm handling it now, Cooler, so keep your nose in your own quadrant of space." Freeza spat. "I don't need time limits, and I don't need help."

"A week, Freeza."

Freeza bristled, and his face twisted into a darkened scowl. "Good_bye_, Cooler."

The transmission ended and stood there for a few moments, bristling angrily. The whole thing was an insult. He had been looking for an excuse to end his miserable excuse for a brother for ages now, but the opportunity had never presented itself. Now, he wished he had simply killed him an accepted the punishment. His brother had always had a nasty habit of butting his nose in where it didn't belong, and showing Freeza up no matter where he was. Well not this time. This time, Freeza was going to do things his own way. And he wouldn't need a week to do it.

"Lord Freeza, shall I-"

The nameless peon never got a chance to finish his question. Freeza hadn't even turned around, he had just raised a finger and shot a beam of energy through his throat. The room fell into silence.

Freeza glared at the screen a few more moments before he turned around. "I'm going to take a bath. No interruptions."

God help whoever decided to ignore that order.

* * *

><p>"A tournament?" Trunks blinked, confusion displayed plainly through his features. Vegeta was standing a few feet away from him, looking through a few papers. He nodded briefly, not looking up.<p>

"That's right, I want you to enter."

"Me?" Trunks was dumbstruck. A tournament and he wanted Trunks to enter it. It was almost too good to be true. In fact, Trunks was sure that it was in fact too good to be true, and there had to be some sort of catch, or Vegeta was playing a cruel joke on him. Vegeta turned around, snapping the book he'd been holding shut.

"Something wrong with your hearing, boy? Yes you." Vegeta walked over to his desk, setting the book down and eyeing Trunks up and down. " You'll be representing me." Trunks could hardly speak. That cinched it, this was a dream. He was dreaming of tournaments and training and work now, because there was no way Vegeta would actually ask something like this of him. Vegeta folded his arms across his chest. "Being royalty, it's my duty to attend, but not battle." He looked incredibly peeved by this, and Trunks could see why. He'd hate having to be reduced to being nothing but a spectator. "So you'll be taking my place and battling for me."

Trunks could not believe his ears. He was about to ask why he had been chosen of all people to battle in the Prince's stead, but then he remembered Vegeta's words from earlier. "Because I'm expendable?"

Vegeta looked up, puzzled. "What?"

"Are you sending me because you don't want to risk losing one of your soldiers?"

"Partially."

"What's the other part?" Trunks frowned, confused again.

"Well I am the prince of all Saiyans." Vegeta shrugged. "If I send someone weak, it reflects badly on me. So I am sending someone with the intention of winning."

Trunks' jaw nearly hit the floor. "You think I can win?"

"You can hold your own against me, and repeatedly. Your strength is unquestionable. And I don't think you can win." A smirk spread over Vegeta's face. "I expect you to win."

* * *

><p>Trunks held the sword in his hand admiring it. It was a good sword, there was no denying that, well made and so sharp Trunks had nearly cut himself just by looking at it. He swung it around, expertly, flipping it over his arm, and letting his body take over, remembering how to move with it. It felt good to hold something like this again. His thoughts drifted to his own sword, which he hoped remained in his home and had not been plundered by the Saiyans. It had meant quite a bit to him.<p>

"You know how to handle a sword?"

Trunks looked over at Nappa who was standing behind him, looking rather put out. He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I had training before I was brought here."

"Good. You'll be allowed a weapon during the tournament."

Trunks frowned. He looked back and sheathed the sword. "Will there be a lot of slaves fighting in it?"

"No." Nappa grunted, "Warriors and the like."

"Then don't you think I'll be at a bit of a disadvantage?" Trunks asked, pulling the shirt collar down, revealing his metal one. "After all, I'd be the only one out there with a limiter on."

"Frankly, I think that'd be funny as hell." Nappa smirked at him, and leaned against the wall. "But knowing Vegeta, he won't stand for it. He'll probably take it off before hand and put it back on after the thing is over. Assuming you win, that is."

"If I don't I assume he'll kill me?"

"He won't have to. Those warriors will eat you alive."

Trunks resisted the urge to snort and took the sword off his hilt, and put it back up with the rest. "It's taking place here, on this planet isn't it?"

"Course it is."

Trunks furrowed his brow and rubbed a hand over his chin. If it was taking place here, then it would be the best time for him to find a way to escape, especially if the collar was going to be removed. Still, he'd have to work carefully and quickly, the Saiyans were bound to be expecting something like that. Also there was the matter of his mother's safety. He would have to make sure they wouldn't kill her the second they found out he was gone. The thought of faking his death crossed his mind, but playing dead could very easily turn into really being dead, depending on who verified it. He'd try to correspond with the sewer rats, and see if they could help him, but he still had a few days before the tournament. That was plenty of time to think up an escape plan. At least he hoped it would be.

"You know, I can't possibly imagine Vegeta's motives here."

"What do you mean?" Trunks looked over at the larger Saiyan, raising on eyebrow.

"First he picks you as a slave, and now he's entering you in the tournament." Nappa shook his head. "It makes no sense."

"I'm stronger than you gave me credit for." Trunks said, turning back to the assortment of weapons. "I told you I might surprise you."

"True, and you did. Cost me a hundred zeni too."

"I find a lot of people lose money when they bet against me."

"Confident little punk, aren't you?"

Trunks smirked, resting a hand on his hip. He turned back to Nappa, grinning all the while. "I've got a history of victory to back me up."

"And yet you're a slave."

Trunks' features instantly darkened. He clenched his fists. "You took my family and planet hostage. That wasn't a battle. In a fight I'd have won."

"The fact that us taking your planet was enough to stop you proves you're weak. You're sentimental." Nappa sneered taking a step forwards. "You're just a boy. If you're so sure you could have won, you should have fought down to the last man, your family and planet be damned."

"I'm not like you." Trunks glared up at Nappa. "I actually have something worth fighting for, not just the fight itself."

"And look where it's got you."

"I'd sell myself to slavery a thousand times over, if it meant keeping my family safe."

"Like I said, that's what makes you weak."

Trunks took a threatening step forward, a low growl curling in the back of his throat. "You take this collar off and see how 'weak' I am!"

"I will see, at the tournament." Nappa grinned from ear to ear. "Maybe you'll surprise me again."

"If you bet against me, prepare to lose your money."

"I'll keep that in mind." Nappa turned around and left the room, leaving Trunks there to seethe.

He had heard the argument before, but every time he had been able to tune it out, shove it to the back of his mind. For some reason, this time had particularly irked him. Not because it was Nappa saying it, but because in Trunks' mind it was starting to make sense. What was the point of having loved ones if all they brought you was pain? Trunks gave his cheeks a light tap, and shook his head. "Get it together, Trunks…" He whispered to himself.

After all, he didn't want to imagine what life would be like if he had grown up without Gohan, or Goku. He didn't want to be in a world where he and Goten weren't best friends, or where Piccolo hadn't taken care of them and been firm with them when no one else would. And most of all, he did not want to live knowing his mother wasn't there. He smiled at the warm feeling that accompanied thinking of them and put a hand on his chest.

"Oh." He smiled, bowing his head. "That's why."

He wouldn't trade that feeling for the world.


	13. Questioned Decisions and Food's Division

(For some reason FFnet would not let me upload today. So that's why this is so late. I'm sorry.)

* * *

><p>Goten felt like the day had been reduced to a crawl. He had been so anxious to get back to his hammock, that the rest of the day had slowly trudged along, as if to let him know that even time itself hated him on this planet. Still, finally, it was over. Goten scurried up the makeshift ladder they had built to his hammock, and rooted through his sheets, till he found the package Trunks had sent him. He pulled it out and smiled, running a hand over it. He'd have to ask for some paper later, to write him a note back.<p>

He watched as the other slaves filed in. There was roughly about twenty of them, as the boiler was one of the smaller ones, and didn't require too much maintenance. Goten looked at the rolls of bread, and thought he could easily divide it among twenty people. The door finally shut, and Goten smiled down at the miserable faces that greeted him.

"What are you so happy about?" A boy asked, sitting down nursing a few burns.

Goten swung down onto the floor, landing deftly on his feet. "I have a surprise for everyone."

"A surprise?" One of the younger, newer slaves asked, leaning forwards.

"That's right. The sewer rats contacted me today, and it turns out, one of my friends is in the palace." Goten reached behind him, producing the package. "So tonight, we all get fresh honest to god palace food."

Every eye in the room was on him instantly and a few scurried over to get a good look. Goten beamed at the excited look he got from each of them and folded his legs, sitting down on the ground. "Alright, boiler brats, it's time for some real food. Youngest kids first." He said, unwrapping one of the rolls of bread and ripping into it with his fingers. A young child bounced up, holding his filthy hands out.

Goten divided the bread, and used a piece of scrap metal to slice up the cheese and apples. Each kid managed to get a slice of bread, a bit of cheese and apple. It was no feast, by any stretch of the imagination, but the taste was irrefutable. There was still some cheese left at the end, and Goten wrapped it up, hiding it beneath a floorboard. It would be a good thing for them to look forward to at the end of the day.

"Say, what's with that Saiyan guy who keeps talking to you?" One girl rolled over in her hammock watching Goten climb to his.

Goten looked over and opened his mouth excitedly, but shut it instantly. It would probably be a better idea to not tell anyone about the fact that Bardock was his grandfather. He frowned falling into his hammock, and leaned over.

"I don't really know." He lied. "It's weird though, huh?"

"No kidding." Another said, leaning over. "Hey, if he's being so nice, see if he can sneak us some food too."

Goten hadn't thought of that, he smirked and folded his hands behind his head. "Hey yeah, good idea!"

He stared up at the ceiling, kicking his foot against it to rock him hammock back and forth, trying to lull himself to sleep. He thought about Bardock and how unbelievably lucky he had been to find him, it had seemed like a really strange stroke of luck, but Goten was grateful for it anyways. He wondered what Trunks would think of the whole thing, and began to drift to sleep when… Trunks!

Goten sat up bolt upright, and turned over flopping out of his hammock and landing on the floor. "Quick!" He said, picking himself up. "Anybody got something to write with?"

"Huh?" A girl rolled over, rubbing her eyes, most of them had already started to drift. "What for?"

"To write to my friend in the palace, to let him know we got the food and to send more." Goten beamed.

"Oh, sure." She turned back over. "There are probably some pens or something in the infirmary."

Goten nodded his thanks and walked back over to the door, opening it and peering around the corner to make sure no one was watching him. It wasn't his first time sneaking out at night, so he wasn't bad at it, but others were downright pros. He slipped out of the room and walked down the hall towards the infirmary, being as quiet as possible.

The infirmary was only a few hallways down from the slaves' quarters, and it was one of the easier places to steal things from when they absolutely needed something. The Saiyans left to guard them were always soldiers who figured they had better things to do than babysit a bunch of slaves, so it made sneaking about at night, and during the day much easier.

Goten finally reached the infirmary and opened the door, sliding in making sure it wasn't already occupied, or he was being watched. He turned to face the room he was left standing in, and instantly began rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for anything he could possibly write with. Upon finding the mythic writing utensil, Goten snuck back over to the door, opening it just a crack and peering outside. He almost snapped it shut again at the sight of two Saiyans walking down the hall, towards their quarters.

"So, are you entering in this tournament?" One asked, turning to his companion.

"Are you kidding?" The other snorted. "There are going to be elite fighters there, not to mention the prince has chosen someone to represent him. The two of us would stand no chance."

"Speaking of," The first leaned in towards the other. "Did you hear who he picked?"

"Sure did. A slave, can you believe it?"

"Is he joking?"

"He must be. An earthling no less."

The two laughed walking away. "The kid'll be eaten alive!"

Goten's eyes widened and he leaned up against the door, covering his mouth to prevent a gasp from escaping it. An earthling slave, chosen by the prince. Hadn't Trunks said he had been sold to the prince? Then that meant…

"Trunks is competing in a tournament without me!" He hissed under his breath. "Not on my watch."

Goten pulled the door open and broke into a run, heading back towards the slaves' quarters. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but he was not going to let Trunks have all the fun. He was going to be in that tournament, this he vowed. "You get ready, Trunks. We'll see if you win as easily this time!"

* * *

><p>Vegeta had been prepared to take a lot of grief for his choice of who was to represent him at the tournament, but this was ridiculous. At least seven advisors had come up to him trying to find a rule saying that humans couldn't compete, and then another ten had come up to him trying to find a rule saying that slaves couldn't compete. Each threatened to revoke his spectating privileges, to which Vegeta had threatened to revoke their breathing privileges. Needless to say, they had seen things his way.<p>

He wasn't going to be dissuaded on this decision, as he was with most of his decisions. The boy had shown promise and had been able to defend himself against Vegeta each time, even with that ridiculous collar on. The other candidates he had considered to represent him hadn't given him their all, and lost on purpose. Not that they stood a chance of winning in the first place, but Vegeta could always tell they had thrown the match. In an effort to save their pride and his, just in case they got lucky and managed to beat him. It drove him crazy. The best way to test someone's strength was to measure it against, your own, and no one was giving him their all. Except the boy.

Vegeta was sure the boy would end him given the opportunity, and Vegeta couldn't help but respect that. During each and every battle, the boy fought to win, and he would not concede defeat easily. It reminded Vegeta a little bit of himself, and that was precisely the reason why he had chosen the boy. He would actually fight to win, and not just because Vegeta told him to. The boy would be fighting for himself, and it would be his pride—and life—on the line.

He was strong. That boy, Trunks.

Vegeta frowned heavily and rubbed a hand over his chin. The name inspired familiarity, but he couldn't quite place it. Everything about the boy was familiar. Sometimes Vegeta found him wondering if he had met the boy somewhere before, or if he had known him for much longer than he actually had. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't place it. He had almost asked the boy if he knew _her_, a few times but had shaken it off. The planet wasn't a small one, and it would too big a coincidence if he knew her.

Vegeta walked over to his cabinet and opened it, pulling out a small chain with a small metal oval at the end. He flipped it open and allowed himself a small smile at the picture there. It was a strange human custom, but Vegeta didn't particularly mind. The picture was small, but he could still easily make out what it was. In the picture he was wearing that ridiculous pink shirt she had put him in, and scowling trying to pull away while she was latched onto his arm. He shook his head and snapped it shut. He had tried his damn hardest to forget about her, but she had away of sticking with him.

"Ridiculous." He shook his head again and put the locket back in the cabinet. He sighed and rubbed the bridge between his nose. He needed to get her out of his system. Though he had absolutely no idea how to go about doing that.

"Prince Vegeta?"

Vegeta turned around, and looked over at Nappa. "What is it?"

"… I expect you know what I'm going to say."

"You want to question my choice about picking the boy for my representative too." Vegeta snorted, turning away. "I've had just about enough of it, Nappa. So pick your words carefully."

"I'm not questioning you, your highness." Nappa walked over, standing behind him. "I just want to know why?"

"Why what? Why I picked the boy or why I didn't pick you?"

"What?"

"Oh don't play that game with me, Nappa. You're too damn transparent." Vegeta growled. "I have my reasons, so try not to let it inflict too big a blow to your ego."

Nappa looked ashamed and Vegeta could practically hear the scowl on his face. "Of course, your highness."

"Have you entered?"

"I have your highness."

"I look forward to seeing you compete then."

Nappa bowed his head and left the room, and Vegeta frowned again. Nappa thought he was able to fool him, but that was the opposite of the case. He had some sort of pent up resentment towards the boy. Nappa was probably hoping to meet with the boy on the battlefield. He wasn't sure why Nappa hated the slave, but it was starting to get old. He wouldn't have picked Trunks if he hadn't thought he could win, and that included Nappa.

Vegeta turned back to his window folding his hands behind his back. In a way, Trunks had quite an advantage over the other contestants. He was a slave, and a human at that. No one would be expect any sort of challenge from him. Being underestimating your opponent was the greatest gift you could give a challenger. Vegeta smirked, running a hand over his mouth.

"It will be an interesting tournament at least."

* * *

><p>The day had started normally enough. Wake up, eat, go to work. It wasn't until high noon that Bardock's day started to get strange.<p>

"So, what's this tournament going to be like?"

Bardock looked up at his grandson, sitting on a wooden beam a few feet above his head. He had tried to address the 'grandpa' thing earlier in the day, but Goten had easily avoided him, yelling something about talking later, and ending it with a 'see you later, gramps'. Bardock had been less than happy about it. Now that his grandson was back, he planned to give him a good talking to about what to call him. He would settle for nothing less than Bardock. He smirked a bit, but it quickly turned into a frown as what Goten had said suddenly registered in his mind. "Tournament?"

"Yeah, that big one that's supposed to be happening?"

Bardock's frown deepened and he narrowed his eyes at the boy who was looking at him curiously. He ran a hand through his hair. "How could you know about that?"

"Us slaves are very sneaky. We know all sorts of things."

"Like what?"

"Like the tournament." Goten swung his legs across the board he was sitting on and leaned forwards. "So? What's it going to be like? Who's going to be there?"

"Everyone." Bardock said, leaning against the wall where he was stationed. "It's a big affair."

"Wow…"

Bardock nodded, and folded his arms. The tournament was an annual thing, and was always a big deal. The best of the best were to compete there, and the fights were always brutal, always exciting, and always very bloody. Bardock had never competed in the thing. He had never seen the point to it. He knew how strong he was, and he didn't see why he should have to prove it to the rest of the world. Goten leaned down to look at him, and Bardock raised an eyebrow. "I'm not entering."

"Aw, why not?"

"I don't want to."

Goten dropped down onto the floor, and stood up straight, grinning at him. Bardock had seen that look on Raditz's face before, and something told him it wasn't good. Goten jabbed a thumb at himself. "I want to enter."

"You… What?" Bardock blinked a few times, his arms falling down at his sides. He could hardly believe his ears, the boy was half Saiyan sure, but he couldn't possibly hope to stand up to these types of competitors. Goten's face showed him he was not going to be dissuaded easily.

"I want to enter." He reiterated.

"You can't."

"Why not?"

"You're a slave."

"I'm strong!" Goten argued, clenching his fists. "Stronger than anyone else who's entering, I guarantee it! Besides, my best friend is entering, and he's a slave. I want to enter too."

Bardock took a step back, shocked. "Your friend is entering? And he's a slave?"

"Yeah, I'm sure of it. And he's not entering without me. I want to fight him, and see if I'm finally stronger!"

Bardock shook his head, waving a hand in front of his face. "You've got your facts mixed up, kid. Your friend can't be entering."

"He is, I heard he is!"

"From who?"

"I can't give out my sources." Goten said, smiling enigmatically.

"Well your sources are wrong. Slaves don't enter in the tournament."

"Well he is!"

"You're wrong. There's only one slave entering, and that's the Prince's."

"I know, that's my friend!"

Bardock stopped dead. He eyed Goten warily and opened his mouth a few times, but letting it snap shut. He raised his hand a moment and then let it fall back down. He was at a loss for words, and this did not happen often. He looked down at his grandson for a good few minutes, and held up a finger again. "The prince's slave." He started, getting a prompting look and gesture from Goten. "Is your best friend?"

"Uh huh. His name is Trunks."

Bardock nearly fell over from shock, but Goten wasn't done yet.

"He's half Saiyan, like me."

That succeeded in knocking Bardock back half a step. "Half Saiyan?" He almost shouted the words, but caught himself half way. "Is he… also Kakarot's…?"

Goten shook his head. "No, Trunks never knew his dad."

Bardock could not shake the shock from his features. "Does anyone else know about this?"

"Nope."

"Good." Bardock ran his hand through his hair again, and frowned deeply. He folded his arms, and contemplated his next step. If the boy serving the prince was half Saiyan it meant he was a product of the ship that crashed on earth two cycles ago. It made sense, and Bardock would have to figure out who it was who fathered the kid. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with that information, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it. There were an awful lot of strange links popping up, and Bardock wasn't sure if he liked it. He had submerged himself so deep in thought, he hadn't heard Raditz calling to him.

"Father!"

Bardock looked over at his son and nodded. "I'm coming, Raditz. One second." Raditz walked off, and Bardock sighed removing himself from the wall.

"So if you're my grandpa, does that make that guy my uncle?"

"Yes."

"Seems like a nice guy." Goten quipped sarcastically. "Does he know?"

"No, no one besides me and you know."

"Oh." Goten folded his arms behind his head. Then he gasped, looking over at Bardock. "Don't tell anyone else about Trunks, okay?"

"I won't." Bardock looked over at him. He put a hand on Goten's head and ruffled his hair. "Now go get back to work before someone figures out you're missing."

Goten looked up at him, an adamant glare on his face. "Not till you promise."

"Promise what?"

"That you'll get me into the tournament!"

"I can't promise that!"

"You have to!"

Bardock rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips. "Fine, fine, I'll see what I can do."

Goten jumped up, throwing a fist into the air. "Yippee! Just you wait, Trunks! I'm gonna win this one!" He then turned and ran off, waving back over his shoulder. "Bye, grandpa!"

Bardock fumed. "And stop calling me that!"


	14. Royal Cruor and Things to Live For

Trunks hit the floor for the third time that day. He grimaced and sat up, rubbing his chest where Vegeta's boot had connected with it. He could have sworn his ribs almost cracked that time. Still he wasn't going to be beaten that easily. He reached over and grabbed his sword, pulling himself up further, preparing to stand up. Vegeta was twirling his sword effortlessly. It was a rare occasion that Vegeta got this far without even so much a scratch. Trunks frowned and gripped the hilt tighter. Man, he was having an off day.

"What's wrong with you, boy?" Vegeta asked, spinning his blade over his wrist. "You're making this too easy on me. Don't make me regret putting you in that tournament."

Trunks glowered and stood up, straightening up and crouching into a fighting stance. "The only thing you're going to regret is leaving yourself so open."

Vegeta laughed. "That's more like it."

Trunks launched himself into battle, and steel met steel. Trunks felt far more natural with a sword in his hands, like his arm was complete again. He had taught himself most of what there was to know about swordplay, but Piccolo had insisted he learn a few proper techniques and had been all too willing to teach him. He had ordered Trunks to try and chop his arms off, and to use a proper sword technique to do it. At first Trunks had thought it was stupid, but when Piccolo had grown another arm in place of the other, he was all to eager to give it another go. Still, for some reason Trunks' head was not in the game today, and he felt the sword slip from his fingers, and saw it go flying across the room. There was a fine tip of a blade against his throat and Trunks clenched his fists angrily.

"You're distracted." Vegeta snarled.

Trunks turned his head, scoffing a little bit. He turned around, ignoring the blade and walked over to pick up his sword. "Let's go again."

"What's on your mind?" Vegeta asked, a taunting air to his words. "You're no challenge the way you are now."

Trunks frowned and turned back to the prince. "Will they be fights to the death?"

Vegeta looked shocked, before throwing his head back, laughing. "That's what you're worried about? Dying?"

"No." Trunks shook his head. "I'm not scared of dying, and even if I was I'm not going to die in this tournament."

"Then what's the issue?"

Trunks wasn't sure how to say it. He was no murderer. Not that he hadn't killed before. He had defeated plenty of enemies that had threatened the safety of the universe, but they had been just that. Enemies. He wasn't sure if he could kill people in a tournament, even if it was the race of people who had enslaved him and taken over his planet and killed so many people. He couldn't just end a life like it was a trivial matter. He was prepared to defend himself, and if it came down to it he would fight to protect his life, but he wasn't sure if he could end the life of someone he beat, just because the rules required it. He remained silent as Vegeta scrutinized him.

"Killing is allowed."

Trunks looked up, confusion on his face. "What?"

"It's a fight to death or incapacitation. It's only over when one can't move anymore. If that means death it means death. If it means his legs are broken that's still a victory."

Trunks visibly relaxed and readjusted his grip on his sword. He felt much better after hearing that. If he could just knock his opponents out he could still win. There'd be no reason to kill anyone. He heard Vegeta snickering behind him.

"You're still so weak in the head, aren't you?"

Trunks scowled. "Valuing life isn't weakness."

"It is here." Vegeta walked over and grabbed Trunks' wrist, pulling his hand and the sword upwards. He positioned the sharp blade right next to his neck, and smirked releasing his hand. "Well? Don't you want to kill me?"

Trunks stared at the prince, shock and confusion showing in his eyes. "What?" That was all he could say under the circumstances. He had a sword pushed up against the neck of the prince of this race of monsters. With a flick of his wrist he could cut Vegeta's head off and end his life.

"It'd be easy, wouldn't it?"

Too easy. Trunks narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure what Vegeta's game was.

"Just one little movement and you'd end my life. Don't you want to?"

"I do."

"Then do it."

Trunks gripped the sword tightly. The temptation was overwhelming, but eventually he moved the sword backwards and lowered it to his side. Vegeta smirked and shook his head.

"See that? Weakness."

"If I weren't I'd have killed you." Trunks snapped. He didn't understand a lick of Vegeta's logic. "Besides, if I had, the entire Saiyan race would have turned on me, looking for blood."

"So?" Vegeta sneered. "Cut through them, destroy anyone who stands in your way."

"They'd kill my family, for 'treachery'."

"Forget them."

Trunks glowered, clinging to the sword so tightly that it started to cut off the blood flow to his fingers. "I would never leave my family to die."

"And therein lies your weakness." Vegeta shrugged. "Perhaps I should just call to have them killed anyways. To sever your ties to-"

Vegeta didn't get a chance to finish. Trunks launched himself at him with a furious battle cry, anger pumping through his veins. Adrenaline surged through him, and he felt electrified. His Ki sparked at the edges and he felt it burning at his hands and hairline. For a moment he thought it might burn him from the inside, and destroy him once and for all. The collar felt tight around his neck, and he was blinded by the anger and hatred that consumed him. He felt his sword connect with Vegeta's who had managed to raise it in a last minute defense. Trunks knocked it away easily, lunging in for another attack. Adrenaline hung over his eyes like two wet blankets, blinding him to anything else in the room. All that mattered what Vegeta. Vegeta's blood. Spilling that blood.

Suddenly Trunks snapped back to reality when the crimson liquid splattered forwards, hitting his face. He gasped and the adrenaline evaporated, his anger dissipating. He was finally able to see the damage he'd done. It wasn't a major wound, but it wasn't pretty anyways. He managed to catch Vegeta in the shoulder with a particularly vicious swipe of his sword. Vegeta stood there, holding the wound, grinning like the maniac Trunks had always suspected he was. He was barely aware of the many strong hands grabbing him until he was forced to his knees with a spear pointed at his neck. He gasped as the cold steel brought him rocketing back to reality. He had attacked the prince, who also happened to be his master. He had drawn blood. There was no way they'd let him get away with this. They'd kill his grandfather, his grandmother… his mother. Tears stung at his eyes and he cursed himself for being such a fool. He could hear Nappa's voice somewhere to his left.

"Prince Vegeta, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, you fool." Vegeta's cold voice snapped.

"Say the word, your highness, and he'll be executed."

Trunks mentally prepped himself for the blow, and vaguely wondered if he'd meet his mother on the other side. The next words surprised him.

"No, release him."

All eyes were on Vegeta, wide in shock and horror, especially Trunks. Nappa was mortified. "Prince Vegeta!"

"I said release him, are you deaf? Don't ignore my orders, you idiot!"

The guards holding him relinquished their grip and Trunks sat there on his knees, looking shocked and confused for the second time that day. He looked up at Vegeta who continued holding his wound, he was looking smug as usual.

"I'm going to a healing tank." He said, looking over at the guards. "Take the boy back down to the slaves quarters and heal him as well. His ribs are fractured." The guards nodded dumbly and Vegeta kneeled down, so he was eye level with Trunks. "I had a feeling you had it in you. You just needed a bit of coaxing." He put his free hand on Trunks' shoulder and stood up. "You have a big day tomorrow. Don't mess it up."

Part of Trunks' brain remembered that the tournament did indeed start tomorrow, but he was far to shocked to respond. The guards grabbed his arms and hauled him up as Vegeta left the room. He had really attacked the prince and gotten away with it. If there was a god in heaven, or fate, or whatever you believe in, it was finally showing him some favor.

At least, that was what he had been thinking when Nappa had bludgeoned him over the head with the hilt of the sword. Oh well. Can't have everything.

* * *

><p>"You want to what a what?"<p>

Bardock sighed, tapping a finger up and down on the wooden desk across from him, he had gone over this at least three times now. He shook his head and leaned over in the chair he was sitting in. "I want to enter one of your slaves in the tournament." He repeated, folding his arms across the wood. "I'm not sure what you're having a hard time understanding here." He said, furrowing his brow. The man who ran the water plant looked at him with more confusion and shock as if he was hearing the words for the first time when Bardock had been saying them for at least the past half an hour. One of the judges at the tournament was standing next to him, looking just as shocked and confuses. Bardock rolled his eyes.

"Now… hold on. Which slave would this be?"

"Goten." The name meant nothing to them, he could tell. He groaned and sighed. "I don't know his I.D. number, he's an earthling, I can go get him if you want."

"No, no… that won't be necessary…"

"Look, Bardock." The water plan owner leaned over. "I… appreciate your enthusiasm here, but I can't spare any of my workers."

"Slaves." Bardock corrected. Workers were paid and could quit. He'd always made a point to have a distinction.

"Yes, whatever. I just can't afford to lose anyone, this quarter. I've got a busy schedule, and…"

"It wouldn't be much of a competition." The judge said, adjusting his scouter.

Bardock sighed and rubbed his temple. "Look, the kid is strong and if he dies I'll pay the difference, okay? Just enter him. The prince has got a slave in the competition."

"Yes, but he's the prince."

"I don't care, I want to enter this kid. It'll be a good advertisement won't it?" Frankly Bardock didn't want Goten entering. For some reason the thought of his grandson dying made his gut squirm uncomfortably, but he wasn't about to let that show. Goten was strong, but he wasn't sure if he was strong enough to enter this thing. Still, the kid had been adamant about it, and Bardock was at least going to try. "Two slaves, in the tournament? It'll make it interesting won't it?"

The more interesting it was, the more money they were bound to make, and that was a language the judge seemed to understand. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt…"

"Absolutely not!" The water plant owner snapped. "He's still mine, and I don't-"

"I'll buy him off you then." Bardock said, before he realized what was happening.

"You'll buy him off me?" The owner said, scoffing. "You're a third class, how much zeni could you possibly have?"

"How much do you want?"

"A thousand."

"Done." Bardock flipped a card out of his pocket and handed it over. The owner took it warily, and swiped it through a machine. He became pale as a sheet, and looked up at Bardock, sweating a bit.

"It accepted it."

"So there's no issue then." Bardock leaned back in his chair. "Is there?"

"N… No. No there's not."

"Good." Bardock stood up, and looked to the judge. "You enter him, I'll bring him by tomorrow."

"Of… of course."

Bardock turned around and left the room. As soon as the door closed, he blinked, and leaned up against the wall. He put a hand over his eyes. "What the hell am I doing?" He whispered, shaking his head. He had never acted this way before. Why did that kid bring out this strange side of him? The worst part was, Bardock wasn't so sure that he didn't like it. He shook his head. "This is ridiculous." He made his way back to the boiler room, his hands folded over his chest. He opened the door and stepped inside, scanning the roof where Goten usually sat. The boy was up on his usual rafter, relaxing like he almost always was. Bardock had scarcely seen him do a lick of work. He finally managed to catch the boy's eye, and he beckoned him down. Goten was all too happy to oblige; he scurried down the rafters and pipes hitting the floor with his bare feet. He ran up to his grandfather grinning ear to ear.

"Did you get me entered?"

"I did."

"Yahoo!" Goten jumped up, excitedly. "That's great! Thank you!"

"I had to buy you to do it."

"Yeah—what?" Goten looked up at Bardock, the happiness melting from his face, replaced with pure confusion. "You… had to buy me?"

Bardock turned his head, frowning. "Yeah, you owe me a thousand Zeni."

"You paid a thousand for me?"

Bardock looked down at his grandson, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah… so?"

The grin was back on Goten's face as if nothing had happened. "Boy, did you get ripped off!" He laughed. "I'm worth five hundred, tops."

Bardock took a step back, completely shocked by the boy's attitude. His face flushed red with embarrassment. "Oh, shut up, you!" He said, knocking Goten's head slightly with his fist. Goten just laughed harder, wiping his eyes. Then he looked up at Bardock, and grinned ear to ear. And then, with no warning, he did something no one had ever done to Bardock before. He hugged him.

"Thanks, grandpa."

Bardock stared down at his grandson for a few minutes, before putting a hand on the boy's head. "Stop calling me that."


	15. No Restraints and No Complaints

The first thing he was aware of was that it was freezing cold. The air was thicker than he remembered too, and there was a strange thing obstructing his mouth, that felt suspiciously like a tube. He moved his hands slowly through the ice-cold air and felt around his face, finding a breathing mask over his mouth an nose. He wrapped his fingers around it, but a dull and muffled voice sounded a few feet away from him.

"Hey! Leave that on!"

Trunks halted, and squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to open his eyes but every time he did, a harsh substance flooded them forcing him to shut them again. He reached out with his hands and felt something hard and cold. Glass. Suddenly a realization dawned on him, and he realized just where he was. In a healing tank.

"Hang on, I'll drain the water."

Slowly the liquid drained around him, and he finally managed to open his eyes. He pulled out the breathing mask, and dropped it, wiping his face off and slicking his hair back against his head. The glass case raised around him and Trunks smiled at the familiar face. "Videl!"

"Hey, Trunks." She said, smiling. "We were afraid you weren't gonna wake up."

"What happened to me?" Trunks stood up, accepting the towel she was offering to him. Videl gave him a sympathetic look and Trunks frowned. "I was sparring with Vegeta and… oh." He frowned. "I could have killed him."

"But you didn't and you've been pardoned, miraculously enough." She pointed out, turning around and collecting his clothes as Trunks toweled off. Videl walked back over, handing them to him as he draped the towel over his head, to dry his hair off. He grabbed them and slipped into them quietly as Videl kept talking. "You have your mother's stroke of luck, from what Gohan told me. I can't believe you got away with that."

"I wasn't really sure what was happening." Trunks frowned. "He threatened to have mom and them killed… for no reason! I was just so pissed, I…"

"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me. Frankly, I wouldn't have minded if you killed him, a lot of people wouldn't. But… Trunks, I worry about you."

"It won't happen again, don't worry, Videl." Trunks promised, shuddering. "I'll never make that mistake again, I swear." He looked around the room and frowned. "What time is it?"

"Six."

Trunks relaxed. It hadn't been that long then. Still, not many people got up after taking a blow to the head like he had. He reached up and rubbed his head, tenderly. The wound was still fresh, but the healing tank had done it's job and patched him up nicely. He sighed and shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had to be ready for the tournament tomorrow, which meant resting. Last minute training had the same results as last minute cramming. Detrimental. He would have to rest his muscles so he wouldn't be sore and a little bit pent up for tomorrow. The healing tank had healed his wounds, but somehow left him feeling sleepy, like an after effect of being drugged for surgery.

"You don't look so good, Trunks."

"I'm a little worn out." He looked over at Videl. "Is there food?"

"Yes." She nodded over at the table. "Eat to your unnaturally large stomach's content." She said, smiling. "After all, it's a big day for you tomorrow."

"Are you entering, Videl?"

"I wish. No, slaves aren't usually allowed to enter, they sometimes make exceptions, but not usually. You got lucky."

"I suppose so." Trunks frowned at the floor, and looked back up at her. "I guess I owe everyone a victory, huh?"

"You sure do. Show them how tough us palace cats are."

"Hey, you're not a palace cat."

"Shut up and go eat."

Trunks left the room and walked towards the common area. He sighed and rubbed his arms. He wanted to win, and not just because he wanted to avoid Vegeta's wrath, but because he wanted to prove his strength. He wanted to prove he had worth above his status, and that no Saiyan class warrior could beat him. He was going to prove his claims about defeating the Saiyans when they came to earth were not merely boasting. He was strong, and he could back it up with evidence. Of course he had a feeling the credit would all go to Vegeta, but at least the people he beat would know the truth. And that was enough for him. He gripped his fists. "I AM strong…" He whispered to himself. "And I don't need Vegeta to acknowledge it. Who cares what he thinks? My family does not make me weak!"

_Mom, _he thought to himself. _I'm going to do this for you too._

* * *

><p>Raditz was staring at him like he was out of his mind. Part of Bardock wanted to agree with him, but the other part was far too prideful for that. Still, the look on Raditz's face was amusing if nothing else. Bardock sighed and looked over at Goten who was looking around their small quarters, he looked back over at his son who's eyes were darting between the two.<p>

"You bought that kid."

"That's right."

"Um, one question, no big deal or anything but… _why?_"

Goten had started to wander over to the other side, but Bardock caught him by the collar, pulling him back, provoking a strangles cry from the boy. "Because… You know, I don't have to explain myself to you."

"What?" Raditz hollered, throwing his hands in the air. "You've ALWAYS been adamant about not having slaves before! You thought they were for the weak who couldn't handle their own laundry and chores and labor!"

"I still think that." Bardock said, pulling Goten back away from the cots. It was true. What could you be proud of if your life's work was not yours? If it was built on the backs of slaves then you really didn't do anything. You had no legacy. You had handed over your pride to the people who were supposed to be serving you.

"Then _why!_"

"Look, I'm not going to be using him as a slave-"

"Then why buy him? Why, father? What's the point? And _why _that one of all things!" Raditz jabbed a finger at Goten accusingly. "That one was the one who disrespected you! What has gotten into you?"

Bardock sighed and rubbed his temples, as Goten looked up at him, confused. He could tell the boy had no idea what to say, and frankly he was just glad the boy was staying quiet for once. "Raditz-"

"Tell me why, father! I don't want to hear anything else! Why!"

Bardock snapped. "Because he's Kakarot's son!"

The room became deathly silent for what seemed like an eternity. Goten stared up at him, his jaw agape, Raditz stared at him, his jaw in a similar manner. Bardock could only stare at the two boys, and frown, shaking his head. He hadn't meant to say it, but it had just come out. Raditz stared at him, and his eyes flickered to Goten a brief moment before he finally was able to speak up. "… Kakarot…" He started. "He's… alive?" The room fell absolutely silent again, but not for long. "Answer me!"

Goten was the one to speak up this time. "He's alive."

Raditz looked over at him, shock on his face. "He's… on earth?"

"Not right now, I don't think." Goten said, looking away. "I haven't seen him in a while. Him or my brother."

"Brother…" Raditz took a step back. "Kakarot is alive." He sat backwards onto his bed. "How long did you know?"

Bardock sat down on his own cot and only Goten remained standing. "Not long."

"And this kid is…"

"Your nephew." Bardock said into his hands. "My grandson. A half Saiyan."

"Half Saiyan…"

Bardock looked up at his son. "You can't tell anyone, Raditz." He said, glaring.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm ordering you not to."

Raditz looked up and then looked away quickly, glaring at the wall angrily. "Kakarot's son… an earthling… This is bullshit. Is this a freakish game to you, father? Why are you pretending to care about this kid? Are you trying to make up for lost parenting time?"

"Shut up, Raditz."

"No." Raditz stood up. "This is idiotic, and you damn well know it! Kakarot's kid… This is such bullshit! You expect me to believe you? You don't care about this brat! You're a Saiyan, we don't care about these things! What has he told you, kid? You think he's a nice guy? Earthlings are sentimental; you know how many kids your age this guy has killed?"

"Shut the hell up, Raditz!" Bardock leapt so his feet. "You got something to say to me, say it to me." He snapped. "Got a comment about my lack of parenting? Go ahead, call me out on it."

Raditz backed away a moment, scowling. "This is bullshit." He turned around and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Bardock saw Goten wince and he turned to him.

"He won't tell anyone, don't worry."

"I'm not too worried. But what about you?"

"I'm not worried either."

"That's not what I meant." Goten sighed, sitting down. "I didn't mean to cause trouble like this."

Bardock's face softened a bit and he walked over, leaning down and ruffling Goten's hair. "Raditz is a hot head. He'll cool down eventually. Now stop moping and go to bed. I enrolled you in that damn tournament and if you back out now because you don't sleep cause you're depressed I'm gonna kick your scrawny half breed ass."

Goten looked up at him and grinned. "Okay, okay." He looked around the tiny room and frowned. "Where do I sleep?"

Crap. Bardock hadn't thought of that.

* * *

><p>The tournament grounds were absolutely packed. There was almost no room to breathe in the halls, and it made Trunks very happy that he had his own room. He peered through the curtain that separated his door from the masses, and slowly began to size up the other warriors. The Ki's were impressive to say the least, but Trunks had definitely fought worse. He let the curtain swing closed and walked over to the set of clothes he had been left. No armor, that was a given, and a sword. Some of the warriors outside didn't have weapons and some of them had weapons at least eight times their own size, and seeing as they were Saiyans that was saying quite a bit. Trunks slipped the dark teal gi on, and tied the belt tightly around his waist. He stretched his arms over his head and began to mentally prep himself. He felt good today, which was a good start. He was sure he would win this thing. He <em>had <em>to win this thing. He had too much riding on it, not to. Trunks turned his head as the flap to his door was pushed aside and he saw Vegeta step through.

"It suits you." He said, giving the boy a once over.

"I used to wear things like this back on earth." Trunks said, adjusting the straps on his shoulders.

"You're ready then?"

"Yeah." Trunks turned back to Vegeta and his eyes stayed on the floor. "About yesterday, though…"

"Shut up, I didn't come in here to talk about that." Vegeta snapped, folding his arms. "I just want to make sure you're prepared to win. If you disappoint me, then your little outburst yesterday will be the least of your problems."

"Then it's the most of my problems?"

"You're quite confident today." Vegeta smirked, leaning against the wall.

"I'm not worried." Trunks shrugged.

"Good. I'm counting on that." Vegeta stood up and walked over to Trunks. He pulled out a strange device from his belt and Trunks reflexively recoiled. Vegeta grabbed his shoulder and pulled him closer, and raised the device to his collar. The device beeped and the collar popped open, falling off into Vegeta's hands. "I'll be looking forwards to your first match."

Trunks stared blankly at Vegeta, and raised a hand up to his neck. It felt unnaturally bare, and it nearly brought tears to his eyes. His Ki snapped and skyrocketed in response to the limiter being taken off, and he relaxed. He felt like he had been holding his breath for two years and now he was finally able to exhale. It felt fantastic. He wanted to power up as much as he possibly could, and take off flying into the air, but he managed to compose himself. Vegeta smirked at the relieved look on his face and turned around, walking through the curtain and leaving the room.

Trunks watched him go, and frowned to himself, momentarily forgetting his unrestrained Ki. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. What he had said was true, he wasn't worried about the tournament, he was just worried in general. For some reason he was feeling incredibly uneasy about the whole thing. He had a feeling in his gut telling him something horrible was going to happen. He rolled his shoulders and shook his wrists, and felt out with his Ki again. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Except for that powerful and extremely familiar Ki that was very, very close.

Trunks jumped up and ran over to the curtain, pulling it back. He felt out for the Ki again and located it, and in a second he was shoving his way through the crowd, trying to get closer to it. Finally, he managed to spot the person and this time tears really did come to his eyes. He reached forwards, smiling so much he thought his mouth would split in two.

"Goten!"


	16. First Round and Laughter Abound

Goten hadn't felt so pumped up in years. Certainly not since he had come to this planet. He was practically hopping up and down as Bardock let him out of the coach. He leapt out, looking around as excitedly as a child being taken to an amusement park. Bardock climbed out after him, standing up and securing his scouter to his face. "I hate public affairs." He growled, looking around. "Too many people."

"This going to be great!" Goten yelped, jumping up and down. "We should go find Trunks!" He turned around.

"The prince's slave? Yeah we'll see." Bardock chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on, let's go sign you in." He clapped a hand on Goten's shoulder and began to guide him through the other competitors to a tabled in front of a large archway. "I'm Bardock, we spoke yesterday."

The judge looked up and then saw Goten who was still turning around excitedly taking in all the sights. "Ah, yes. This is Goten?"

"That's me!" Goten turned around. "Is Trunks here yet?"

The judge blinked at him and shook his head, mumbling something. "You're clear. Go through, there." He reached under the table and took out a small silver device, holding it out to Bardock. "There's that, if you want it."

Bardock took it, and nodded. "Yeah, he'll need it."

Goten felt Bardock grab his shoulder and pull him through the gates. "Come on, you'll need to change. You can't fight wearing that." He pulled Goten into a large building. The walls were lined with lockers and filled with benches and other Saiyans getting into more comfortable attire. Bardock pulled him over, and Goten noticed he was getting strange stares.

"What's everyone looking at me for?"

"You're a slave. You stand out."

"I guess not a lot of slaves compete in these?"

"You and this Trunks boy are the only ones this year."

"Wow." Goten was turning around in circles still and he barely noticed that Bardock was staring at him, a crooked and amused smile on his face. He grabbed Goten's shoulders and steadied him, making him standing still.

"Alright, calm down, Goten." He handed him a red gi, and turned away to the locker pulling the device out of his pocket.

Goten pulled the gi on, pulling it up over his chest. He looked over at Bardock, and frowned. "What is that?" He asked gesturing at the device.

"It's a key code."

"A key code for what?"

"Just get dressed already."

Goten jumped up and down, shaking his arms out. He was ready for this, he was sure of it. People were still staring at him, and he was starting to tune them out. He reached out with his Ki, feeling for Trunks'. It was close. Very close. Goten grinned and was practically hopping, he was so excited. He hadn't seen Trunks in almost two years and he was so close. He was itching with anticipation. He reached out with his Ki, and was finally able to pinpoint Trunks' location. He jumped up and began to bolt in the direction he could sense Trunks' Ki in. He nearly choked when Bardock grabbed his metal collar, and hauled him back. He coughed and grabbed his neck as the slack lessened.

"Slow down, kid."

"But Trunks is in that direction." Goten said, pointing frowning.

Bardock chuckled a little bit, clapping a hand on Goten's shoulder. "Just relax, Goten. You're going to want this."

Goten fidgeted. "Come on, gramps, I don't want to stand here all day."

"Don't call me that." Bardock responded automatically. He grabbed Goten's shoulder, and held him still, holding the strange device up to his neck. "There."

There was a clicking noise and Goten felt the collar fall off. He blinked a few times and rubbed his neck. He looked up at Bardock who was pocketing the collar, and he stared up at him for a few minutes before an enormous smile broke over his face. He could hardly contain himself. His Ki was bubbling up through his veins and he jumped up, feeling as light as a feather. Victory was all but guaranteed. "This! Is! Awesome!" He shouted happily over the noise of the room.

"Don't go crazy yet, you still have a tournament to compete in."

Goten looked up at Bardock, grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah! I'm gonna win this, no problem!" He punched the air. He felt fantastic, better than he had in a very long time. Then a familiar voice jarred him from his ecstatic state.

"Goten!"

Goten whirled around, and stared blankly at the hand reaching for him. He instinctively reached out and caught it, grabbing it in his firm grip. He followed up the arm, and his eyes landed on Trunks, who had just pushed his way through the crowd to stand in front of him. Goten's eyes widened and a smile slowly appeared on his face. "Trunks!"

The two instantly embraced, laughing as they did. Goten felt relief build up in his chest, as he pulled back to look at his life long best friend. "Trunks, it's really you!"

Trunks grabbed his shoulders looking him over, before looking back up and grinning at him from ear to ear. "Goten, I can't believe it… What are you doing here?"

Goten smirked and held up his arm, flexing it. "Being your only competition."

Trunks' jaw dropped. "No way… you entered?"

"You thought you could get away with competing in a tournament without me?" Goten put his hands on his hips. "Well get ready to lose, cause I've gotten way stronger!"

"Please." Trunks scoffed. "Like you could ever beat me."

"We'll see." The two boys laughed, embracing each other again. It had been so long since they had seen one another, it was all the two could do to not start weeping with relief and joy. Goten's laughter finally died down and he snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! Trunks! You'll never believe it!"

Trunks blinked a few times wiping his eyes. "What?" Goten turned around and pointed to Bardock. Trunks followed Goten's gesture and his eyes widened. "Goku?"

"I know!" Goten smiled. "That's what I thought at first too! Doesn't he look just like my dad?"

"I'll say…" Trunks mumbled unable to take his eyes of him.

"He's my grandpa."

"He's your what?"

"My grandpa." Goten grinned. He looked back up at Bardock. "Right?"

Bardock looked down at Trunks, and folded his arms. "So you're the other half Saiyan?" He said, frowning in confusion.

"You told him about me?"

Goten shrugged. "Sure. He's my grandpa, we can trust him."

Trunks looked up at Bardock suspiciously for a few moments and then nodded. "Okay. It's nice to meet you, umm…"

"Bardock. I keep telling the runt not to call my Grandpa."

"I'm not gonna stop." Goten shook his head, smiling. He looked over to Trunks and smiled wider than before. "We have to catch up! Is there somewhere we can eat around here?"

Trunks shook his head. "The tournament's about to start. We can go back to my room and catch up there till they call us out."

Goten nodded. "When this is all over, you're taking me to get something to eat, Mr. Palace Cat."

Trunks laughed. "Yeah, well, we'll see."

The two began to walk, and Bardock followed closely behind. Neither seemed to mind, as they began to head back towards Trunks' room. It had been a long time alright, but Goten was happier than he thought he could be. For the first time in a very long time, it felt like everything was going to be alright.

* * *

><p>No matter where in the universe you go, the guy who announces tournaments is always the exact same guy. Even in the heart of Planet Vegeta, surrounded by the most cruel, vicious race of space Vikings, the announcer was an overly zealous, happy go lucky, slightly flamboyant man with short hair and sunglasses. Some things were just universal. Maybe the job made you like that, or maybe, living on a planet as cruel and heartless as this one and being that way didn't leave you with very many career choices. Every contestant was lined up at the edge of the fighting grounds. Each Saiyan standing there looked bigger and nastier than the last and it made Trunks feel like he and Goten were dreadfully out of place. Which they certainly were. They both had small builds, were very young, and were actually quite scrawny. And to top it all off, they were both slaves. Trunks felt particularly out of place in a sea of black hair. He reached up and smoothed his lavender locks down self-consciously and cast Goten a sideways glance. Goten caught his eye and grinned, throwing him a thumbs up excitedly. Nothing ever could phase Goten. Especially when a fight was in order.<p>

He and Trunks had sat in the waiting room for what felt like only a short amount of time. He explained how he had worked in the fields for a long time, and then how Vegeta had bought him. How he had trained with him, and even landed a serious injury yesterday. He told Goten that Videl was there, and how she had helped him. And Goten had told him all about what had happened to him, starting with working at the water plant and ending at his grandfather's appearance. Bardock had stayed in the room, but had said nothing. Trunks had been grateful for the time with his best friend, but still there was a nagging sensation in the back of his skull that things were going to go very, very wrong. He shook it off and looked along the wall at the contestants. He scanned them all as the announcer carried on explaining the rules that he already knew. Fight to the death, or incapacitation. He shrugged it off, and looked down the line until his eyes landed on a very familiar sight. "Nappa?" He hissed under his breath. Sure enough the tall Saiyan guard was standing at the edge of the line, staring forwards, grinning. Trunks scoffed and turned back to face forwards. He wasn't worried about Nappa, if anything he was particularly happy he was there. It would give him a chance to settle the score.

The announcer continued his overly happy announcing and Trunk rocked back onto his heels. He had never really been nervous for a tournament before, so the feeling was new and slightly foreign to him, and he tried to dispel it. Finally another Saiyan came out with a box, and set it in front of a typical white board with a tree showing who would fight who.

"Each contestant will draw a lot, to see if who they will be fighting, let's start down here!" He pointed to one end of the line and the Saiyans began to head up to the podium and grab the lots. Trunks scoffed and rubbed his hands together. With luck, he wouldn't fight Goten right away. It was best to save good matches like that for the end. It would be boring if he got that out of the way right away, and had nothing but boring fights to look forwards to. Finally it was his turn to draw a lot, and he nudged Goten smirking.

"Wish me luck."

"At a tournament? Sure. Break a leg."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Trunks scoffed and jumped up onto the ring. The crowd was murmuring and a few people were snickering, but he ignored them. He walked up, and the judge nodded to the box. He reached inside, and grabbed one of the lots and pulled it up through the hole. He unfolded it and handed it to the judge. What was written there made no sense to him, as he couldn't read the Saiyan's way of writing. The judge blinked, having been expecting him to just tell him, and he snatched it away.

"Lousy slave, can't read…"

Trunks snorted and watched him mark his name—or what he assumed was his name, since like the man said, he couldn't read the dialect—under the fourth spot and he walked back down to the floor. Goten jumped up.

"My turn!" He ran over to the lots and grabbed one, and handed it off to the judge who snatched it impatiently. Goten bounded back over to Trunks and looked back as the judged marked him down under the tenth spot. Goten deflated. "Aw, I was hoping to fight you."

Trunks shrugged. "Well this way we'll give them one hell of a finale." He said, smirking. "See you at the finals."

"You sure will." Goten said, punching the air. "Don't expect me to pull any punches."

"Just so long as you don't expect me to take them."

The two laughed, and the other Saiyans eyed them with distaste. Still, Trunks couldn't care less. The rest of the contestants drew their lots, and both Trunks and Goten were left matched with two random grunts. Both of whom were staring at Trunks and Goten the way one would stare at a meal. The two walked over, smirking and cracking their knuckles in some attempt to look threatening.

"Aw, look. We got paired with the two babies."

"I hope the prince doesn't punish you for thrashing his toy."

"I hope not. Still, how unfortunate for us to get paired with these guys so early."

Trunks scoffed and turned away. "How unfortunate indeed."

"Ahh, how lame." Goten said, folding his hands behind his head. "Why do we always get paired with the big ones? For some reason they always seem to be the weakest, don't they?"

"What?" One of the Saiyans snapped, leaning forwards.

"I don't know," Trunks agreed, shrugging. "I guess they have to thin the heard somehow. But it's true, we do get paired with the big ones with the loud mouths more often than not, don't we?"

"They all say the same thing." Goten said folding his arms in a mocking manner. "I didn't sign up to baby-sit!"

Trunks laughed and joined in. "This is going to be over in a second!"

Then they both said in unison, "Don't cry when I beat you!"

They both burst into laughter, and the two Saiyans stood there, staring at them angrily. "Prepare to die, you little punks. We're not going to go easy on you!"

Trunks and Goten both pointed simultaneously and said once again in unison. "And we're not going to go easy on you!"

The two of them had always been in sync, and it felt natural. Like being suddenly being able to use both your arms after only being able to use one for two years. Trunks and Goten had always been inseparable, and now they were finally together again. The Saiyans stood no chance.

* * *

><p>The first three matches leading up to Trunks' matches went by quickly. Finally, it was his turn. He smirked and he and Goten smacked the backs of their fists together. Goten smirked at him. "Wipe the floor with him." Trunks smiled devilishly and nodded. He climbed up onto the fighting ring, grabbing a sword from the weapons rack. The crowd was laughing and some were jeering, while a few others were actually cheering. Trunks scanned the crowd until his eyes landed on the royal box. Vegeta was sitting there, leaning into his hand. Trunks turned away and gripped the sword tightly. He'd show these people just who they were messing with. His opponent climbed into the ring, and Trunks cracked his neck. The man raised his arms and the crowd roared, and somewhere in the back of his mind Trunks was reminded of Mr. Satan. He shook his head as the man looked over at him, and rolled his shoulders.<p>

"I won't need a weapon for this."

Trunks raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Alright." He tossed the sword to the edge of the arena.

The man laughed, "You might want to keep that, shrimp. This will be over too quickly otherwise."

"I agree. But it will be over way too quickly if I use it."

"Why you…!"

Trunks smirked and stood there, as the announcer finally threw his hand up in the air. "Ready…? FIGHT!"

The man lunged at him, extending his fist to collide with Trunks' face, and Trunks didn't move a muscle. He reached up at the very last second and caught the man's hand with his own. The crowd went silent. The look of shock on the man's face was short lived, as it was quickly replaced with unbridled pain as Trunks jumped up using the man's own arm as leverage, and kicked the man square in the face. It sent him flying, and Trunks let go, landing back on his feet as the man crashed out of the ring, landing in front of a few awed spectators. Trunks turned and walked back out of the ring. It took the announcer a few minutes to keep up, but he finally raised his hand. "As… As expected of the Prince's representative! The winner is the slave boy, Trunks!"

Trunks hopped down from the ring next to Goten who rolled his eyes. "Lame, Trunks. You could have at least fought a little bit more."

"I can't help it if he got knocked out from just that."

"You could have held back a little bit more, you know." Goten said, looking over. "I was looking forward to learning a few more of those moves you said you learned from that Vegetable guy."

"Vegeta." Trunks shook his head.

"You're the same as ever, Trunks."

Trunks smiled at his best friend. "It'll take more than just a few years of slavery to change me. I see it's the same for you."

Goten smirked. "You know it!"

Trunks clapped a hand on Goten's shoulder. "It's good to see you again, Goten. You have no idea how much I missed you."

"No, I have some idea."

The two boys looked back at the ring as the next fight began.


	17. Not Surprising and Heros Rising

The next six fights were boring to say the least. Mostly just big Saiyans punching the tar out of each other, and about half of them killed their opponents. Nappa had been one of them. It had taken less than five minutes to dismantle his opponent. It was unnecessarily brutal, carnal, and primitive and needless to say the crowd loved it. Meanwhile Trunks and Goten were locked in an epic battle of rock paper scissors. Goten was winning.

Finally the tenth match rolled around and Goten perked up as his number was called. "Alright! Finally my turn!" He ran up to the fight ring, and hopped up. He turned and waved to Trunks, before turning back and stretching. His opponent hauled himself up, and sneered. Goten looked over at the man and continued stretching. "You're not gonna underestimate me, are you?"

"I plan to end this quickly."

Goten stretched his arms high above his head, and shook himself out before walking to the middle of the ring. The announcer was ecstatic. "Lets see if this slave is going to surprise us as much as the last one! This kid was a water plant worker, so we'll see if he can measure up!"

Goten clapped his hands together and bowed deeply to the man in front of him. The man sneered and grabbed a large mace from the weapons rack and swung it around in his grip. "You might want to grab a weapon, short stuff."

"No thanks." Goten said, putting one foot back and adopting a fighting pose. "I prefer fists."

The man looked taken aback, and then shook his head, grinning. "Whatever, kid. This will be over quickly." Before Goten had any chance to respond, the man threw himself at Goten, raising the mace above his head and swinging down as hard as he could. The mace stopped short and the man blinked a few times before peering around it to look at Goten who had stopped it with one hand.

"See, the problem with this thing is that it's too big. See? My hand can fit right between the spikes." The Saiyan snarled and raised it again and swiped at Goten from the side, baseball bat style, and once again it was stopped with one hand from Goten, who frowned looking a bit put off. "Come on, I told you not to underestimate me, so fight me seriously!" This elicited a nasty growl from the larger man as he flung the mace aside, finally abandoning it, and lunging for Goten's throat. Goten sighed raising his arms and knocking the older man's arms hands aside, and easily blocking the flurry of punches that the man tried to bombard him with. He was disappointed to say the least. He caught the man's fist and allowed his hand to follow through with it, letting the man's weight be used against him. The man hadn't been expecting it, and fell forwards onto his face. Within seconds, Goten was sitting on top of him, cross-legged, and holding the man's arm tightly behind his back with one hand, and his chin leaning into the other.

"Is this it?" The man struggled and kicked but could not get up. Goten sighed and looked down at the fighting Saiyan beneath him. "Do I win?"

"Not yet, brat!"

"I think I win if you can't move anymore."

"I can move!"

"Well, yeah, but not a whole lot."

"I'll stop moving when I'm dead!"

"That's kind of harsh."

"For the love of kami, Goten, just knock him out!"

Goten looked up at Trunks who was staring at him, and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You're no fun, Trunks."

"The longer you take with them, the longer till we get to fight each other."

"Oh, good point." Goten unfolded his legs and delivered a swift kick to the back of the Saiyan's head and stood up. The entire crowd was silent again before it erupted into cheers, and the announcer was overly enthusiastic as was his normal state.

"And the winner is the slave from the water plant!"

Goten frowned and ran over to the announcer, folding his arms. "Hey, come on, you called Trunks by his name, why not me?"

The announcer looked up, slightly baffled. "Eh? Uh… Sure. The winner is, Goten!"

Goten smiled and folded his arms. "That's more like it." He jumped down and ran over to stand next to Trunks. He folded his arms behind his head. "I guess we're not gonna have much of a fight till we fight each other, huh?"

"Isn't that how it always is?"

"Well we're on a Saiyan planet this time. I figured maybe it would be different this time." Goten sighed and shook his head. "I guess we'll have to wait for the finals, huh?"

Trunks nodded. "Come on, let's go find some food or something. We've got some time before I fight again."

That was all Goten needed to hear before they both took off.

* * *

><p>Six more matches passed, with no real excitement for Trunks or Goten. They were both seated in Trunks' waiting room feasting on whatever the attendants would bring them. They ate like they had never eaten before, or at least in a few years. The room was practically filled with dirty dishes, cleaned bones and drained glasses of water before the two half breeds were satisfied. Goten leaned back in his chair and raised his arms over his head.<p>

"Aha! I'm finally full! I'd almost forgotten what this feels like!"

Trunks smiled and looked up from the table he was leaning on. "I know, right? It's been forever."

"Aw, what do you know, you got great food as a Palace Cat."

"Yeah, but not enough of it. I haven't been full in years."

Goten smirked, leaning forwards. "True enough. Say, what are you drawing there?"

Trunks looked down at the diagram of soy sauce he had made and frowned. "I'm mapping out the matches." He beckoned Goten over, and Goten complied. "See there were only sixteen matches this time, so we just have to win two more to get to fight each other." He said gesturing to the G and T he had marked next to the notches.

Goten nodded. "Wow, that works out really well." He said, leaning over and pointing. "What's this N? It says your fighting him after your next match."

Trunks furrowed his brow. "Nappa."

"Cabbage?"

"Nappa." Trunks corrected him. "That bald Saiyan. I've been wanting to fight him for a long time. He thought I wouldn't last three hours in the Palace. And now he thinks he's gonna kill me here."

"Well, you show him wrong."

Trunks nodded and tapped the chart. "One more fight, and then I'll prove to him how strong I am."

"Speaking of which, you're up first, right?"

"Yup." Trunks stood up. "Shouldn't keep our adoring public waiting, should we?"

"Screw our public, don't keep ME waiting! I want to fight you! I've got nothing but grunts to look forward to!"

Trunks laughed and clapped a hand on his back. "I'll finish it quickly."

* * *

><p>"Well?"<p>

The four advisors who sat in the Royal booth exchanged nervous glances before one of them finally spoke up. "We're very impressed, sir."

"He's quite strong." Another said, nodding.

"How foolish of us to have ever questioned you."

"It was foolish." Vegeta smirked and leaned into his hand. The next four matches would almost be no fun. He already knew who was going to win. Still, he was happy with how the boy was performing. He had already defeated a second class Saiyan and was in the middle of defeating another. It wasn't all that an impressive feat but it was still a victory, so he wouldn't complain. The boy was quick and efficient. He didn't draw things out and Vegeta couldn't help but respect that. He had certainly chosen the right candidate. Of course it was no substitute for competing himself, but this was almost just as satisfying. Vegeta leaned back in his chair and watched as the boy left the ring. Nappa was up. The outcome of this was just as obvious. It was the other boy that intrigued Vegeta. Another slave who his own seemed to know and seemed to be just as strong as Trunks was. It was an odd coincidence.

Vegeta snapped his fingers and summoned an advisor. "Who owns that other slave?"

"A third class named Bardock, sir."

"And what planet is that boy from?"

"Earth, sir."

Yup. That was strange all right. Definitely worth investigating.

* * *

><p>The second round was boring at best, and there was nothing really worth watching. Trunks hadn't even bothered to watch Goten's fight. He knew how it was going to end, and it ended exactly as he had predicted. The other two fights had just been more Saiyans fighting more Saiyans. It had the exact same rhythm to it. Goten walked back towards him, frowning.<p>

"Man, Trunks were you even watching?"

"Nope, thinking."

"Hey, I could have died up there."

"Yeah, you could have suffocated from yawning to much."

"Can you suffocate from yawning?"

Trunks laughed and shook his head. He looked up as the judges went back to cleaning up. Goten was hopping back and forth from foot to foot, punching the air.

"Just one more fight and then we fight!"

"You think you can take me?"

Goten threw a mock punch at Trunks' face and smiled. "I dunno, you tell me."

Trunks smiled and looked back at the grounds. "What do you think is going to happen after?"

"What do you mean?"

"After the tournament."

Goten's smile fell and he could tell he hadn't thought of that. His brow furrowed and he put his hands on his hips. Trunks looked back at the ring and sighed, folding his arms. He already knew what would happen. Bardock would take Goten and Trunks would be taken back to the palace. He had finally identified the bad feeling he'd had earlier. The knowledge that his time with his best friend was limited, potentially for another two years or longer, was hanging over his head like a dark cloud. Trunks shook his head and turned back to Goten. He wasn't going to waste this precious time feeling sorry for himself. He tapped Goten's temple, making him tilt his head a little.

"I mean… After you suffer a humiliating defeat, of course."

The smile was back on Goten's face and Trunks felt a little better. "You mean after I whup you so hard you forget your own name?"

"I'll drop you out of that ring so fast your head will spin."

"I'll kick your ass eight ways to Sunday."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Bring it on."

"Consider it brought."

"This is adorable."

Both boys turned around to face the large bald Saiyan standing over them. Goten frowned and put his hands on his hips. "Hey, look, another opponent who wants to trash talk before the fight."

"Shut up, runt." Nappa shoved Goten aside and put a hand on the pillar right next to Trunks' head. "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because your Vegeta's toy."

"Don't expect me to go easy on _you _just because your Vegeta's toy."

"Why you-!" Nappa curled a fist, but slowly unclenched it. "I'm going to enjoy taking you apart in the ring." He sneered. "And when I'm done with you, I'm going to rip apart your little friend here." He jabbed a thumb at Goten.

Before Trunks could think up another witty retort, the announcer began to call out for the matches to start. The semi-finals already. For such a big affair, it sure was a short one. Trunks pushed himself away from the pillar and smirked, putting his hands on his hips. "Well let's go then." He walked up to the edge of the ring and Nappa followed him. He grabbed up his sword seeing Nappa grab a long ugly looking blade. He hopped up, and steadied himself, swinging the sword around his wrist as Nappa ran a finger along his blade.

"Ready…?" The announcer prompted. "Fight!"

Steel met steel as Trunks and Nappa simultaneously launched themselves into battle. Their swords clashed together, and Trunks ducked backwards as Nappa threw a punch over the clashing blades. He had honestly not been expecting Nappa to be so fast, but then again he probably should have. Nappa was Vegeta's right hand man, after all. He would have to be strong. Trunks brought his leg up, aiming a particularly vicious kick at Nappa's sternum. It was enough to stagger him and free Trunks' sword. Trunks flipped it up, and stabbed at Nappa's shoulder. He wasn't sure how much trouble he would get in for killing Nappa, and he wasn't sure he wanted to anyways. Part of him just thought that Nappa wasn't worth it. The older man managed to move out of the way right at the right time, so Trunks' blade only nicked his shoulder, drawing blood.

Nappa staggered backwards, reaching up to touch the smear of blood. His face twisted into a scowl and he launched himself at Trunks. Trunks was startled by the speed of it, and before he knew it Nappa's fist collided with his face and Trunks fell backwards, hitting the floor. He didn't hesitate, he jumped back up in an instant, grabbing his sword up again and launching another attack. Though no sooner had he begun his assault, he was quickly put onto the defensive. For a few moments it was all he could do to dodge the flurry of fists and steel Nappa was throwing at him. He cursed himself. He had underestimated him, and now he was paying the price. He gripped his sword tighter, turning his knuckles a pale white. He was not going to lose to this guy. He wasn't going to prove him right. He was strong! He was stronger than this!

Nappa laughed as he continued to keep Trunks on the ropes, forcing him to dodge his every blow. "What's the matter, slave boy?" He howled with laughter. "Can't you do anything other than run away?"

That did it. Trunks was many things, but a coward was not one of them. He had never, and that meant never, run away from a fight before.

"Come on, kid! You said I would be surprised! So come on! Surprise me!"

In an instant Trunks vanished from Nappa's sight, causing him to falter, and stop, looking around in confusion. Suddenly Trunks' voice came from behind him.

"Hey baldy."

Nappa turned around just in time for Trunks to hit him in the side of the head with the hilt of his sword. Trunks stood up straight, and spat on the ground.

"Surprise."


	18. No Fear, Cavalier, Renegade Steer Clear

Trunks sat in the waiting room, with his head raised as a tournament attendee tended to his bloodied nose. Nappa had managed to land a good hit, but it wasn't anything serious. Goten stood next to him, watching with his hands folded behind his head. "Man, that was awesome!"

"You think so?" Trunks smiled turning his head a little bit. The attendee grabbed the side of his head and jerked it forward again, forcing him to hold still as he continued to bandage Trunks' damaged nose.

"Totally! I mean you were all like: Schwing!" Goten mimed swinging a sword through the air. "And then he was all like: Pow, pow, pow!" He punched at an invisible foe. "And then he was all like: I'm winning! And then you were all like: Hey, surprise! BOOM!" Goten threw another punch and laughed. "Awesome!"

Trunks laughed which earned him a glare from the attendee who had just finished. The man packed up his kit and left the room, leaving the two boys alone again. They continued to laugh, and Trunks stood up. "You just have to win this fight, and then we're up."

"Piece of cake." Goten said, folding his arms. "He won't last ten seconds."

"Let's hope so. I don't want you to get distracted by my awesomeness mid-battle." Trunks said, shaking his head and shrugging.

"I hope YOU don't get distracted by MY awesomeness during our fight. That would make it even easier on me."

They both laughed together.

Then the curtain opened. "Trunks! Goten! Finally!"

Both boys turned around, and stared at the new comer in the room. The familiar long black hair, and the scars on his face gave him away instantly. Trunks' jaw dropped and Goten's eyes widened and a huge grin came over his face. "Yamucha!"

It was indeed the warrior from Earth, and Trunks could not believe his eyes. First Videl, then Goten, and now Yamucha? No. No, no, this could not be true. It was way too good to be true. Goten didn't seem to think so as he rushed forwards, throwing himself into a hug. Yamucha returned it, laughing and put his hands on his hips. "I couldn't believe it when you two showed up in this tournament!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I work here." Yamucha said, smirking.

"I don't see a slave collar…"

Yamucha shook his head. "No, you don't. Cause I work here."

"Like paid?" Goten's jaw dropped. "Oh not fair! How did that happen!"

"Uh… No, I don't get paid or anything. It's more like… volunteering I guess. It's a really long story. Tienshinhan is here too."

"Tienshinhan is here?" Goten's jaw could not have dropped any lower.

Trunks walked up. "What are you guys doing here then?"

"Well after you two got snatched by the Saiyans, me, Tienshinhan and Kuririn and his wife all decided to high-tail it after you. You know. A rescue mission. Unfortunately, you're both stronger than we are so… It didn't quite work out how we planned it." Yamucha said, rubbing the back of his head. "We got a lot of help from a group of Saiyans against slavery, and they managed to get us 'jobs' so to speak. But it turns out, you two are very hard to find. Tienshinhan and I couldn't believe it when you showed up here."

As he finished speaking, the curtain was pushed aside again, and another familiar face stepped through. It was Tienshinhan in all his three-eyed glory. Goten and Trunks both smiled, and he nodded at them. Yamucha turned around.

"Tien! I was just finishing telling them how we got here."

"Seems a little contrived." Trunks said, smirking. "And coincidental."

"It's purely coincidental." Tienshinhan said, shaking his head. "But a happy accident, I think."

Just then, the announcer spoke up from the ring and Goten jumped a bit. "Oh! That's me! I have to go win this fight! Be right back!" He smiled and held his thumb up to Trunks. "See you in the ring!"

Trunks nodded. "Can't wait."

The boy bolted out the door, leaving Trunks alone with the two human warriors. He turned to them. "I still can't believe you're here. It's been so long."

Tienshinhan smiled at him, and Yamucha crossed his arms. "What, did you think we'd just hang out on Earth till Goku, Piccolo and Gohan came back?"

"I actually kind of figured you'd be taken as slaves."

Tienshinhan shook his head. "Well we considered it, in order to get here, I mean. But we would have been too restricted to find you. This way, we could move around."

"How did you get here?"

"Your mother helped out a lot."

Trunks smiled fondly. "Mom… How is she? Is she okay?"

"Yes, she's fine." Yamucha said, nodding. "She's strong willed, it takes a lot to keep her down. She was quite determined to get you back."

"I'll bet." Trunks smiled and put his hands behind his head, laughing. The thought of his mother sent that same familiar warm feeling through his chest, and he smiled fondly.

"Trunks… Is it true you're working for the prince?"

"Yeah." Trunks let his hands fall down to his sides. "He bought me about two weeks ago."

Yamucha and Tienshinhan both exchanged strange glances that Trunks couldn't decipher. Yamucha turned away, folding his arms. "Now that's just not right." He muttered.

"He doesn't know."

"Still, it's… it's messed up." Yamucha turned to Tienshinhan. "I mean, of all the slaves, he had to pick Trunks. First of all, what the hell? Second of all, it's wrong and messed up and… sick!" Yamucha said, stomping his foot. "I never liked that guy!"

Trunks raised his hands. "Guys, guys, look. It's okay. I knew what I was getting into when I sold myself out."

Both older men looked at one another, and Tienshinhan was the first to look away. Yamucha kept staring adamantly. "We have to tell him."

"Tell me what?"

"It's not for us to tell."

"Tell me what?"

"He should know!" Yamucha yelled, pointing at Trunks.

"Know what?" Trunks raised his voice and they both looked at him. Yamucha and Tienshinhan looked at each other one last time before Tienshinhan sighed in defeat. He walked over and put a hand on Trunks' shoulder.

"There's something you have to know about Vegeta."

* * *

><p>Goten hopped up and down in the ring, from one foot to the other. He was practically brimming with excitement as another Saiyan climbed into the ring. It wouldn't be too hard, Goten could already tell. The man's Ki wasn't anything special, so it would be over rather quickly. The man steadied himself into a fighting pose and glared at Goten angrily. Goten just kept hopping.<p>

"I hope you don't mind if I end it quickly. I really want to fight Trunks." The man just kept glaring as Goten kept hopping. Finally, the announcer marked the beginning of the fight, and the man hesitated. Goten couldn't blame him. So far everyone had lunged into battle without thinking. This one at least had more brains than the others.

Goten decided he wasn't going to wait for this guy to fling himself at him so he would launch the first attack. He rushed at the man, swinging a fist, but the man ducked down and rolled away, pushing himself back up and crouching into a defensive position.

Goten blinked and looked over and then smiled. "Wow, you're fast." He smiled. He then launched himself again; throwing several punches, faster than most could keep up with. The man ducked down, and avoided nearly every one, until the last one collided with his chest sending him flying backwards.

The Saiyan stood up, holding his chest. He glared at Goten who just sighed. "I really want to finish this quickly. You can't win unless you have an offensive you know."

This was probably the first time a Saiyan didn't want to engage in any witty banter, but it still had the effect Goten wanted. The man was enraged, and threw himself forward. The attack was clumsy at best and easily avoided. Goten jumped up and over him, landing his feet on the man's back and shoving him forwards onto his face. He landed down and turned around as the man got back up and lunged for another attack. Goten scratched his head. "You're persistent."

He sighed and gripped his fingers tightly, and pulled them back, gathering his Ki at his fingertips. He wasn't going to kill the guy, but a quick air currant would be enough to knock him out of the ring. The man was getting closer and closer and Goten swung his arms out, unfolding his hands. His Ki exploded, and the man was sent flying. Goten hadn't even touched him. The Saiyan smashed into the wall of the stadium and Goten winced. "Guess I overdid it…"

The entire stadium was silent for the fifth time that day. The announcer was absolutely stunned as well, which was a first. But it didn't last long. He held up his hands. "Goten is the winner! He moves onto the final round!"

Goten jumped up in the air, pumping a fist. "Whoo! Yes!"

The crowd cheered and Goten raised his hands, waving hoping to spot Bardock in the crowd somewhere. He had no luck. He turned around and went right back to hopping up and down from one foot to the other.

"Everyone, this is a first! Not only have two slaves entered the tournament but they've both made it up to the final round!" The announcer yelled, "Now of these two power houses, who is going to win? Everyone please welcome Trunks back to the field!"

On cue, Trunks walked back out onto the court, and climbed up onto the ring. Goten smiled and jumped up and down with excitement. He was shocked when Trunks, surprisingly, did not reciprocate the emotion. He looked sad, and angry. Goten stopped jumping and frowned sensing something horribly wrong with his friend. He walked over, confused. "Trunks? What's wrong?"

Trunks looked up, looking almost surprised at seeing Goten there. Then he smiled quickly and shook his head. "Huh? Nothing! Sorry my head was somewhere else." He laughed but Goten could tell it was forced. He wasn't buying it for a second.

He folded his arms and gave Trunks a look that told him he wasn't going to get away with secret keeping. Trunks sighed, and shook his head. "Goten, first let's have our match. And then I'll tell you, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"Yes."

"Name one time."

"When I was seven you told me that toads could fly, but only did it when they thought no one was looking."

"Okay, so-"

"And when I was eight you told me if I licked the side of a frozen pole a genie would come out."

"Hey, that was funny."

"And then when I was nine-"

"I get it." Trunks stopped him, but Goten wasn't done.

"Hit it, Goten. It's a piñata, Goten. No it's not a bees nest, Goten." Goten said mockingly.

Trunks laughed. "Alright, alright!" He said, shaking his head. He held a hand over his heart and raised the right hand. "I solemnly swear to tell you what's wrong right after the match."

"Cross your heart."

"Hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." Trunks said, crossing his heart. "Happy?"

"Yes." Goten nodded. "Now, let's fight!"

Trunks nodded and grinned. "I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Me neither!"

The announcer jumped up. "Ladies and Gentlemen we have come to the final round of the tournament! Let's see which of these two young contenders will be the ones to win it all!" The crowd cheered, and the announcer raised his hand. "Ready…? Fight!"

Goten and Trunks lunged at each other with everything they had. But something happened before either of their hits could land. Something no one had seen coming.

The world ended.


	19. Out of Luck and to Run Amok

**(Today FFnet gained sentience and decided to speak to me. And it said: "What's that? You wrote this chapter early? And you want to put it up first thing in the morning? WELL NOT ON MY WATCH!" So I wrote some extra, and attached it in an attempt at appeasement.) **

* * *

><p>"<em>I had a right to know." <em>

_The two warriors were silent as Trunks looked up at them, expecting something they couldn't give. He looked between them, and frowned, furrowing his brow. Tienshinhan and Yamucha both avoided his gaze. _

"_Well?" _

_Silence. _

"_I should have known that… that monster was my father!" _

"_Trunks, it wasn't for us to tell." Tienshinhan looked up at him, finally. "Your mother wanted to forget him. And she didn't want to hurt you." _

"_Hurt me? I've been sold as a slave to the man who gave me life! How is this… How is this a favor!"_

"_It was wrong, I know!" Yamucha pleaded, taking a step forwards. "Please… we should have told you sooner, but when the Saiyans invaded it was too late." _

"_He hurt your mother. Please try to understand why she didn't tell you." _

_Trunks gripped his fists so tightly he nearly punctured his palms. He shook his head. He should have known. He should have known before coming here, and before he had been sold to that monster. That monster who his mother had loved, and lived with, and adored. Who she had given her life to. That man, who would have ended his life without a second thought, was the man he should have called father. He shook his head, tears streaming down his face. _

"_Trunks… I'm so sorry." _

_Trunks nodded. He felt so betrayed. He felt so hurt. Yamucha reached forwards but the announcement of Goten's victory halted him. Trunks reached up and rubbed his face. He looked up at them and shook his head. "We can talk more later. I have to go." _

_The two nodded, and Trunks left the room and headed for the stadium. _

The first thing that Trunks became immediately aware of was the taste of blood in his mouth. The next was the sounds of screams and battle happening all around him. He opened his eyes blearily and tried to move his hands underneath him to push himself up, but his left arm wasn't moving. He managed to get his right arm under him, and shoved himself up, and then suddenly realized why his arm wasn't moving. It was pinned down under a slab of concrete the size of a house. He grunted and turned around, gripping the underside of the concrete and shoving it as hard as he could. It lifted just briefly enough for him to pull his arm out. It was bloodied and broken in more than a few places. He coughed and stood up. The stadium was destroyed and the only Saiyans he could see were either dead or dying. There were a multitude of strange reptilian aliens running about, shooting and destroying the walls and whomever they could get in their sights. Trunks coughed, and held his arm to his side.

"Goten?" He called out weakly. There was no reply. Trunks pushed himself up, against some of the rubble and looked about him. Hovering above the ruined wall of the stadium was a large hovering disk that Trunks quickly identified as a spaceship. He winced and began to walk over towards it, a slight limp in his step. The earth shook beneath him, and he fell to his knees. The sky had become red, and the ground was cracking and breaking in more than a few places. Trunks quickly realized the space ship was not hovering, but had landed with a platform extending down to the ground.

Trunks limped up to the wall of the stadium and flopped against it, his breath ragged. He heard voices from the direction of the ship

"Lord Freeza, we've taken the Prince on board as you've ordered."

Trunks' eyes widened. The prince? Vegeta! His father! He winced and narrowed his eyes. No. Not his father. Fathers didn't leave their wives, and their children. They didn't keep their children as slaves, even if they didn't know. Fathers were like Goku. Vegeta was not his father. But still, there was a strange nagging sensation in the back of his heart when he remembered all those nights his mother had spent crying over him.

"Perfect." A cruel voice that froze Trunks' blood spoke up. "Make sure my dear monkey prince is comfortable. I don't want him dying before I pay him a visit."

"Yes, Lord Freeza."

"But before you do, can you go see who that impressive power level belongs to? Behind that wall over there."

Trunks froze. He had forgotten to hide his power levels. He had been so used to having it forcibly repressed, he had forgotten he needed to reel it in manually now. He gasped as the wall behind him crumbled and he took a step forwards turning around. He was face to face with a large- very large- pink alien with heavy spikes lining his- his?- body. Trunks took a step back, but with his injuries it was impossible for him to move too quickly. The alien reached forwards and grabbed him by the neck and hauled him off his feet. Trunks gasped in pain as he was thrown down to the floor again in front of a large floating chair. The alien grabbed his arms, causing Trunks to cry out as he was hauled back to his feet. His arms were pinned behind his back, and he could hardly breath from the pain his left arm was shooting through his nervous system.

"He looks like he was in the stadium. Goodness, Zarbon, you missed one."

"My apologies, Lord Freeza."

Trunks managed to open his eyes and look at the aliens in front of him. He had never seen Freeza before, so he was quite shocked at the short statured man lounging in a chair in front of him. The alien next to him had green hair, and green skin and looked almost as effeminate at the one holding him.

Trunks winced and looked up at Freeza who was smirking at him. "Who are you, boy? You don't look like a Saiyan."

"I'm not a Saiyan… I'm a slave."

"A slave?" Freeza looked completely taken aback. "With that kind of power level? That's impressive. I imagine that's how you managed to survive Zarbon's attack." Freeza leaned into his hand. "Well, this filthy planet is just full of surprises. Not that it has much longer."

Trunks' eyes widened. "What?"

"I'll tell you what. I'll make you a deal, little slave. You come work for me, and I won't leave you on this planet to die with the filthy monkeys who live here. You must dislike the Saiyans as much as I do, don't you, little slave?"

Zarbon looked over at Freeza, raising an eyebrow. Trunks could tell this sort of thing was out of character for him, and from what he had heard about the tyrant he wasn't surprised. The offer to let him live seemed false, and Trunks had a feeling Freeza would kill him anyways. He had to find Goten anyhow. He narrowed his eyes. "I do hate the Saiyans." He whispered angrily. "But I don't like you any better. I don't feel like leaving my slavery for one tyrant to go be a slave for another."

"A tyrant?" Freeza looked offended. Then a look of amused curiosity spread across his face. "Might you be talking about dear Prince Vegeta?"

Trunks blinked realizing he had let that slip. He pursed his lips and glared.

"How interesting! No wonder you have such a high power level! The prince always did like the best of the best! What if I could offer you a chance to get back at him? Would you reconsider my offer then?"

"I would rather die on this planet free, than serve you."

"Very well," Freeza looked a little put out. Trunks had a feeling that he knew why. Vegeta had humiliated Freeza once, so now he was sure to be wanting to return the favor. Watching Vegeta get beat up by a lowly slave was bound to be humiliating. "Dodoria, kill him."

Trunks panicked as the pink alien behind him chuckled a little. "With pleasure, lord Freeza."

Trunks gasped as the alien released his right arm, and wrapped his hand around Trunks' throat. He felt the pressure being put down on his windpipe and gasped clawing at Dodoria's arm in vain. He was too weak and too beaten to overpower him this way. But he wasn't too weak to use his Ki. It had been bottled up inside him for two years now, and not even all this physical duress had sapped it out of him. He held up his hand and reached back over his shoulder, until his palm collided with Dodoria's face. Dodoria laughed.

"What are you going to do? Pat me to death?"

Trunks grunted and twisted, trying to free his neck. "I'm…" He rasped. "Gonna blow your freaking head off!"

The Ki erupted from Trunks palm with enough force to blow a mountain apart and Trunks immediately felt the grip loosen on his neck. He pulled himself away and fell to his hands and knees. His left arm hung uselessly at his side and he grabbed his neck, sucking in air and gasping for breath. He heard Dodoria howling behind him, but he didn't really care at the moment. Dodoria had clearly managed to dodge just in time, but Trunks had still managed to wound him. Trunks began to simultaneously haul himself upwards and started to crawl forwards. His efforts were thwarted when a heavy boot collided with his spine pinning him down.

"Shall I kill him, Lord Freeza?" Zarbon said, pushing his boot down on Trunks lower back.

Freeza was silent. "You know how to handle your Ki well, boy." He leaned into his hand. "Did Vegeta teach you that?"

"No." Trunks hissed. "I was taught on my home planet."

"What planet was that?"

Trunks gritted his teeth. He wasn't willing to say. Freeza destroyed more planets than he conquered. Freeza just laughed.

"My, this boy is a riot! Don't you agree, Zarbon?"

"Hilarious, sir."

"Powerful, too." Freeza leaned into his hand. "Oh, let's take him with us. He'll make for some good entertainment later down the line."

Trunks' eyes widened in shock and he struggled to get out from underneath Zarbon's boot. Zarbon pushed down harder, pinning him there. "As you wish, Lord Freeza." Trunks felt two hands on the sides of his shoulders and he was hauled upwards again. He struggled and kicked, trying to summon his Ki to his fingers. But his right arm was pinned to his side and his left was still useless. Freeza was in front of him now. Trunks glared and kicked as Zarbon held him up.

"What's your name, boy?"

"My name is Trunks Briefs." He spat. He was not going to do this again. He had to find Goten; he had to save his friend. He had to save Videl and Yamucha and Tienshinhan and Kuririn. He was not about to leave his window of opportunity to escape slavery just to be forced back into it.

"Trunks Briefs." Freeza sneered, amused. "You should be grateful. I'm saving your life."

And luck had just started to smile down on him too.

* * *

><p>Bardock held a hand over his mouth as dust and ash filled the air. He turned his head as another explosion shook the earth around him. He looked up into the reddened sky and grimaced. He, among thousands of others, had recognized Freeza's ship instantly. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was causing the tremors. The whole of Planet Vegeta was being ripped apart at the core. Freeza was trying to wipe them out all at once, that bastard. Another heap of rubble landed next to him and Bardock shielded his face. He raised his head and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Goten!" He hollered as loudly as he could. There was no reply. He cursed and stumbled through the rubble of the stadium.<p>

"Goten!" He yelled again, turning around. He had never felt so worried before, and he had to wonder why he was feeling this way. The boy had officially ruined him. But he didn't care. All he cared about right then was finding his grandson. His mind quickly went to Raditz who had also been in the stands, and he frowned. He shook his head, swallowed his pride and raised his head.

"Raditz!" After all, he had sent Kakarot away. Raditz was still family after all, and if he loved Goten so much, surely he loved Raditz too. Even if he could be a contemptible little bastard with no manners. He was still his son. "Raditz! Goten!"

"Father!"

Relief swelled through Bardock at the answer. He turned around, trying to pin point where the voice was coming from. "Raditz! Where are you?"

"Here, father!"

Bardock looked over at the voice and saw Raditz walking through the rubble. He ran to meet up with his son. As he got closer he noticed Raditz was holding something, and Bardock frowned. He looked down and noticed the unconscious form of his grandson in Raditz's arms. His eyes widened. "Raditz, you…"

"Don't get any ideas." Raditz said, shoving Goten into Bardock's arms, roughly. "He is my nephew after all. I didn't help him because I like him."

"Of course, Raditz. Come on. We have to get out of here."

The two, took off into the rubble, Bardock holding Goten tightly. He'd had time to assess the damage he'd taken later. For now, getting off the planet was his first priority. Then he remembered something else. Trunks! The other boy! He wouldn't have time to go back and look now. Goten would not be happy when he woke up. Bardock shook his head and kept running. At least, he would have if a girl hadn't kicked him in the face. It wasn't a strong kick, or anything of the sort, but it was enough to startle him.

The girl landed. "Let go of Goten!"

Bardock blinked and narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Who the hell are you?"

Raditz stopped next to him. "Father, we don't have time for this. We have to get off the planet!"

"Hand over Goten first, and we'll let you go!"

Bardock looked up at the strange group of people who had surrounded him. There was a short bald one, a tall bald one with three eyes and a man with scars on his face. It was a veritable freak show. "Who are you people?"

"We're his friends. Now hand him over, Saiyan!"

"Father-" Raditz began and Bardock tightened his grip on Goten's shoulders.

"This boy is my grandson." He said, standing up straight. "I am the father of Kakarot, or 'Goku' as he's known on Earth, and I will not hand my blood over to you."

This shocked every single person standing on front of him. "You're… Goku's father?"

Bardock nodded. "This is my son, Raditz. I refuse to hand Goten over to you."

"Father, we have to-"

"Be quiet a moment, Raditz." Bardock hissed. "You have some way off this planet, yes? Well then I suggest you show us to it, before this planet crumbles and we're all lost."

"Why should we trust you?"

"It's not a matter of trust, fool. I'm simply not going to give you Goten. You're not strong enough to take him from me. You can refuse me passage and I can try to find another ship and you can trust me with Goten's life. Or you can trust me to board your ship. Pick one."

The group all looked angry enough to kill him. But he could see they all knew he was right. The man with three eyes eventually spoke up. "Very well. Quickly, come with me."

Bardock followed the group quickly. They led him to a large ship, which very much resembled a Saiyan design, but not entirely. Bardock decided to ask questions later and save himself first. He turned to Raditz and held Goten out to him. "Stay with him, do not let those people touch him." He said, backing up. "We have maybe half an hour before this planet is cosmic dust. I'm going to see if I can find Trunks."

The girl that had kicked him ran up to him. "I'm going too."

"You'll hinder me."

"I can sense Ki, mister. I can help you find him."

"You can… sense Ki? How?"

"Now's not the time! We have to find Trunks!" The girl took off, and Bardock followed, keeping close. "His Ki is back over at the stadium." She called back to him.

Bardock made a mental note to ask how the hell she knew this, but decided not to question it. He charged towards the stadium again, holding his hands up to shield his face as steam erupted from the planet as it cracked. The girl jumped through a broken wall and began to run towards the center of the tournament grounds. Bardock noticed where she was running towards and grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"Stop!"

"Let go! Trunks is in that direction!"

"That's Freeza's ship!"

"So what? We have to help Trunks!"

Bardock shook his head. "Are you mad? We can't stand up to Freeza alone!"

The girl started to protest and then she looked over as the ship tucked its landing gear away and rose up off the ground. She gasped and ran towards it, reaching towards it. "No! Stop!"

Bardock ran after her. "What are you doing?"

"Trunks! He's on that thing!"

Bardock halted. He was? What the hell could Freeza possibly have taken him for? It made no sense at all. He frowned and looked up at the ship, floating away. "There's nothing we can do for him here. We have to get back to the ship and get out of here."

The girl seemed to concur with him as she turned around and bolted for the ship. Bardock decided that was going to be way too slow and he took off flying, grabbing her under her arms and jetting towards the ship. He landed in front of it, and climbing on board after her. "We need to take off now."

"Where's Trunks?"

"Off world, but still not safe. We can't wait around here for a…"

Bardock halted at the sight before him. Goten was lying on the ground, being tended to by the very people he had instructed Raditz not to let near him, and Raditz was sitting next to a pole with his hands behind his back. The door shut behind Bardock and the ship launched, but that wasn't much of his concern at the moment. "Raditz! I told you not to-" A blond woman grabbed him by the throat, with speed he couldn't even keep up with and with strength he could hardly believe.

"She surprised me too, father."

Bardock narrowed his eyes. "Let go of me, woman."

"You don't want to get her angry." The short bald one said, smiling. "Trust me on that one."

"You had better not make ME angry!" Bardock snapped. "Release me and my son, now!"

"First you have to prove we can trust you. You abducted Goten and could have killed him!"

"What the hell do you want?" Bardock asked, sneering. "A blood test?"

The rest of the ship went quiet. They weren't sure what they were asking for. Bardock rolled his eyes and was about to give a long lecture on trust not meaning anything and it being about opportunity when a quiet voice rasped from behind the woman holding his neck.

"Grandpa?"

The whole ship turned towards Goten, and Bardock smiled. "Hey runt, think you can tell your friends to let me go?"

The kid sat up, and shook his head drowsily, holding it. "Grandpa, what happened?"

For once, Bardock wasn't going to object to being called Grandpa. He felt the grip on his neck loosen and he walked over and knelt next to his grandson. "The world exploded."

"Exploded?" Goten asked, looking shocked. "Did… I win the fight?"

"There was no fight."

"Damn…" He spoke drowsily; he looked around the ship and smiled a little bit. "Tienshinhan, Yamucha, Videl… Kuririn and 18 too… Wow. Everybody is all..." Goten tilted over, his head hitting Bardock's chest as his slipped back into unconsciousness. Bardock pulled him off and laid him back down, gently. He stood up and turned to the rest of the ship.

"Proof enough for ya? Now untie my son."

And so they did.

* * *

><p>"You know, Vegeta."<p>

Vegeta looked up slowly. He had hardly been aware of Freeza entering his little cell. It was a dark and pathetic little room, separated down the middle by a set of prison bars. His wrists were killing him. His arms were suspended over his head, and his feet barely scraped the floor, it was a humiliating position for the prince to be in, and Vegeta was not used to people humiliating him and then living to tell the tale. Freeza was lounging in his floating chair, in front of the bars that separated them.

"I like to think I'm a very forgiving man."

The wine glass in Freeza's hand rotated and rotated. The contents twirled around with it, leaving trails of red in its wake. It reminded Vegeta more of blood than of wine. Vegeta snorted a little bit and turned his head, trying to become more aware of his surroundings. It was difficult, as his mind kept going back to the extraordinary amount of pain he was in. He had been caught almost directly in the first assault on the stadium and his body had the wounds to prove it. The blood leaking from his temple ran into his eye, causing him to squeeze it shut, and he had broken more ribs then he even knew he had. He was burnt, and broken, and he was all in all a very unhappy Saiyan.

"And I have forgiven you, Vegeta."

"Forgiven me?" Vegeta sneered.

"Yes, for humiliating me." Freeza said, looking over. "Do you know why I've forgiven you?"

Vegeta raised his head and scoffed. "I've done nothing to you worth forgiving. I am at no fault with you. You attacked us, and we won. That's all there is to it." Vegeta looked back at Freeza and snarled. "And I promise to make you pay for destroying my planet."

Freeza waved a hand. "Yes, yes. Blah, blah, blah, petty threats, blah, blah, blah." He looked back at Vegeta. "But back on topic, I've forgiven you because I admire you so much, Vegeta." He said, climbing out of his chair and walking up to the bars. "I admire your ambition. You're a man of business, Vegeta. And I cannot help but respect that. It's true, you won our fight, and I was fully prepared to honor that. But… Unfortunately my family isn't as understanding as I am. Societal pressure, you understand." Freeza looked down at his wine glass. "However you're very talented, Vegeta. Letting you die with the rest of your race would have been a damn waste."

"Shut up, you freak." Vegeta snapped. "You're a coward. You would not have won in a fight; we would have destroyed you again! My only regret is not killing you when I had the chance." He glared at the tyrant in front of him, trying to relieve some of the pressure in his wrists. "Don't talk to me about respect, you filth. You don't know the meaning of the word."

"My, how hurtful." Freeza said nonchalantly. "I was going to offer you a chance to redeem yourself, you know." He sighed, his voice betraying that he did indeed not think it was a shame at all. "A chance to join me, and work under me."

"I would never serve under you. I am a Saiyan Prince. You are beneath me."

"If that's the way you want it." Freeza shrugged. "It's a pity though. In another universe, we could have been allies."

"No, we couldn't Freeza. There is no universe where I would not destroy you, given the opportunity."

Freeza turned around. "Very well, Prince. We'll do it your way then."

"What are you waiting for? Kill me."

"Oh no, not yet, my prince." Freeza wagged a finger over his shoulder. "Not just yet. But don't worry, I'll kill you soon."

With that he was gone, and Vegeta was alone again.


	20. Slip of the Tongue, On the Run

The fact that the room was tiny was no big deal. Trunks was used to small quarters, being a slave for so long. His main problem with his new quarters was that it was absolutely freezing. He was so cold he could see his breath, and his sweat had actually frozen to his forehead. He knew space was cold, that was kindergarten science. But even the ride on the way to planet Vegeta from earth had some sort of heating system. Trunks sat huddled in a corner of his tiny cell, clutching his wounded arm and listening to the sound of his teeth chattering. They hadn't even bothered to throw him in a healing tank.

Being alone had given him a chance to assess the damage he had taken during the blast. His arm was the worst of it, broken in three places, dislocated and bleeding quite a bit. His ankle was fractured, and other than that, the most he had was cuts and bruises and a few more broken bones. Trunks shivered and gripped himself tighter. He knew the tyrant keeping him here was named Freeza, but had figured it hadn't meant much. He figured the ship wouldn't be absolutely frigid.

He curled in on himself tighter, and winced at the fresh pain it brought him. His thoughts turned to Goten. He clenched his fists and prayed as hard as he could that Goten had somehow made it off that planet. He hoped Videl, Tienshinhan, Yamucha and Kuririn had gotten off, and he even was hoping Bardock was safe. Trunks wasn't sure what he would do if they had died. The very thought made his breath catch in his throat.

Suddenly the metal door to his tiny, frosty cell slid open and Trunks raised his head, quickly adapting a glare to his previously miserable face. The green alien from before, Zarbon, stepped inside, the door sliding shut after him. There were two other soldiers behind him; wearing darkened helmets Trunks scowled baring his teeth. Zarbon's power levels were nothing terribly special, but in his condition there wasn't much he could do about it. Zarbon cocked an eyebrow at the shivering boy, and smirked.

"Well now," He said, grinning. "Someone is unhappy. Though I can't fathom why."

"Whatever." Trunks said, pulling himself into a tighter ball.

"You ought to be grateful, it's not everyday that Lord Freeza decides to have mercy on people like you." Zarbon walked a little closer, closing the distance. "He did save your life."

"And then he left me to simultaneously bleed and freeze to death." Trunks couldn't keep his teeth from chattering. His jaw shook, jarring his words. "Here's an idea. Install a heating system." Trunks motioned around with his good arm. "You have the technology."

Zarbon laughed. "Uncomfortable?"

Trunks looked over at the wall, scoffing. "At least the Saiyans had the decency to heal me." He said, looking down at his swollen and throbbing arm.

"Saiyans and decency. Now those are two words I never thought I'd hear together." Zarbon chuckled and then sighed dramatically. "But I suppose it would be troublesome if you were to die so early from wounds so trivial." Zarbon walked a few steps closer and knelt down taking Trunks' chin in his hand. "I would be willing to have you patched up, but first you really should so some manners. Maybe if you say 'please help me, lord Zarbon', I'd be moved to help you."

Trunks responded by sinking his teeth deep into Zarbon's hand. The look of shock on his face was absolutely priceless, and the look of pain that followed it was worth even more. It was almost enough to make him forget his own pain and suffering. Until Zarbon punched him in the face, that is. Still Trunks bit down harder, as Zarbon pulled back, striking him in the face repeatedly. Finally the man managed to get his hand free, and he pulled himself back, knocking Trunks to the floor with a final backhand. Trunks looked up as the green alien rubbed his hand, tenderly, scowling at Trunks.

"Miserable little rat!" With those words he turned on his heel and walked towards the door. He turned to the other soldiers. "You deal with him. But don't kill him. We'll let Lord Freeza handle that."

The two soldiers turned back towards Trunks, and he could practically feel them grinning behind their helmets. Trunks looked them both up and down, and smirked at them, pushing himself up. Zarbon let the room and Trunks was left alone with the two men. He grinned at them and turned his attention to the one on the right.

"Say…" He said, reaching up and rubbing his chin with his good hand. The soldier looked a little taken aback by Trunks' sudden cool and collected attitude. Trunks just grinned wider and pointed at him. "You're about my size, aren't you?"

A plan had started to formulate in his mind.

* * *

><p>Goten opened his eyes blearily and reached up to rub them. He felt terrible, like he had just been hit by an android. He yawned and leaned his head back into the pillow that was underneath him, closing his eyes. He must have really went all out in that fight with Trunks… Wait a second. Goten sat straight up, his eyes wide. That fight with Trunks. It didn't happen! Then why was he so sore? He vaguely could remember a voice in the back of his head. The planet exploded.<p>

Wait, the planet exploded?

Goten turned around and leapt off the bed he had been sleeping on and instantly tumbled to the floor. He gasped and pushed himself up. He was covered in bandages and all sorts of bruises. He felt weak and tired and was in a lot of pain. Goten struggled to pull himself up, and lurched towards the door as it opened suddenly.

"Goten?"

Goten looked up at Bardock who was standing over him, holding something tightly in his fist. He gasped and grabbed his armor. "Grandpa! The world exploded!"

Bardock chuckled and pulled his hand off. "I know, runt. I was there."

"Then how are we alive? Are we dead? Oh good for you, you got into heaven!"

"What? No, we're not dead." Bardock shook his head and reached over, picking Goten up and hauling him back into the room and setting him on the bed. "We're on a space ship. Some earthlings helped us out."

"Earthlings?" Goten blinked sitting, obediently. "Oh! That's right! I saw Yamucha, Tienshinhan, Videl and even Kuririn. Oh and No. 18 was there too!" Goten suddenly frowned and looked up at Bardock. "But what about Trunks? Where's he?"

"He's alive."

Goten didn't like that answer. "Gamps… where's Trunks?"

Bardock sighed and shook his head. "Freeza has him."

"Freeza? That galactic emperor guy?"

"Yeah, he's the one who blew the planet up." Bardock knelt down by the bed. "We don't know why he took him, but Trunks is alive. We're following the ship now." He said, before Goten could get the words out of his mouth. He put a hand on Goten's shoulder and smiled a little. "So don't get all ahead of yourself. Oh." Bardock looked down and opened his fist revealing a single green bean. "They said I should give this to you if you were awake. They tried to give it to you while you were unconscious, but I didn't want you to choke."

"A senzu!" Goten beamed and snatched it up. "Awesome! It's been forever since I've had one of these!" He popped it in his mouth and chewed it up before swallowing. He instantly felt his wounds snap shut, his head cleared up and he was bursting at the seams with energy. He jumped up ripping bandages off him. "Whoo hoo! Goten is back and ready for action."

Bardock raised an eyebrow. "Alright, calm down. Don't blow a hole in the wall. We are in space after all."

Goten beamed up at his grandfather. "So you met everyone?"

"It was a rough meeting, but yes." He nodded. "Raditz is here too."

"My uncle?"

"Yes. He was the one who found and saved you."

Goten beamed. "Aw, I knew he liked me!"

"Yeah but… I didn't say it." Bardock put a hand on Goten's shoulder. "Come on, I don't know about you, but I'm not going to stay down here all day."

Goten couldn't agree more. He ran to the door, Bardock following close behind and bolted up the ladder to the cockpit. He pushed the hatch open and climbed out into the open. He smiled at the familiar faces as Bardock climbed up after him. "Hi everyone."

Videl was the first to turn around. She smiled warmly and ran over, hugging him. "Goten!" She pulled back and touched his face. "You're awake."

Yamucha walked over. "It's good to see you again, Goten."

Tienshinhan and Kuririn walked over too to join in the hug, as Raditz and 18 had the same reaction. That being snorting and turning their heads to the right. The reunion lasted a few minutes and was filled with happy cries and plenty of hugs. Goten turned around smiling at all his friends, before walking over to Raditz.

"I heard you saved me." He said, smiling. "Thank you."

"Hmf." Raditz turned away. "Don't get sentimental on me." He said, poking Goten in the head to push him back. "I only saved you for father."

"I'm sure." Bardock said, smiling.

Raditz turned red. "Shut up!"

Goten laughed, putting a hand behind his head. "Thanks uncle."

"No, don't call me that."

"Too bad, I'm going to." Goten turned around and walked over to Kuririn who had gone back to flying the space ship, a sudden serious air about him. "So, we're following Freeza's ship?"

"The best I can, yes." Kuririn said, nodding. "I'm not sure where he's going, but I'm sure I can catch up."

"His base planet, probably." Bardock said, walking towards the monitor.

Raditz leaned back. "Somewhere with a large audience."

"Audience?" Everyone turned back to look at Raditz.

Raditz just snorted and turned away. "Father you figured it out, right? Why he attacked the stadium first? He's going to put on a big show of it."

"Yes." Bardock said, nodding.

"A big show of what?" Goten asked, frowning.

"Killing the prince."

"The prince?" Yamucha said, folding his arms. "You mean Vegeta?"

"Well that's the prince, isn't it?"

Yamucha, Kuririn, and Tienshinhan all exchanged glances. Kuririn spoke up first. "You don't think Freeza knows, do you?"

Tienshinhan shook his head. "There's no way he could possibly know. He probably just took Trunks for some sick game of his."

"There's no way he could know what?" Goten asked again, walking over to the pilot chair. "What does Freeza not know? And what about Trunks?"

"We were just wondering if Freeza knew that Trunks was Vegeta's son." Kuririn spoke up, navigating the ship out of the way of an asteroid.

The cabin was absolutely silent before Bardock, Raditz and Goten all spoke up at once. "What?"

Tienshinhan, and Yamucha both slapped their forehead and Kuririn looked back, confused. "I thought we agreed to tell them. You guys haven't already?"

"No. But there goes the delicate way of telling them."

Goten, Bardock and Raditz all spoke up together again. "What?"

* * *

><p>The clothes were ill fitting at best, but Trunks couldn't have cared less about that at the moment. He walked through the halls, trying to hide his limp as much as possible. The heavy armor braced his arm, and for that at least he was thankful. He adjusted the helmet over his head and gave a mutual salute as another soldier passed by. "I am a genius." Trunks said, shaking his head a little bit. The two soldiers in his cell had put up a fight but Trunks had been able to make short work of them. Still it had taken him way too long to be able to put his armor on, and he had no idea how long he had been in that room to begin with. It could have been days, it could have been hours. The only thing he knew was that the space ship was no longer moving. They had landed some time ago, but not more than a few minutes. Trunks was desperately navigating his way through the ship, and every minute an alarm didn't go off was a good minute. No one knew he was missing.<p>

Finally Trunks had spotted the exit to the ship, which was lined with soldiers, all dressed like he was. He shook himself off and quickly fell into line as a buzzer sounded. The last thing he wanted was to look out of place. A door opened and Freeza's floating chair came into view. Trunks swallowed hard and gripped his hands tightly, trying to stop his body from shaking. Freeza wasn't paying attention though. He floated through and turned around as two armed guards walked through after him, each gripping onto the arm of an injured and very disgruntled looking Vegeta. His hands were bound behind his back, and there was a Ki restraining collar around his neck. A slave's collar. Trunks' breath caught in his throat, and he narrowed his eyes at his father. He definitely wouldn't be able to help him like this, even if he wanted to. He was outnumbered, and out gunned. Still, he felt a pang of guilt as he watched the two soldiers shove him forwards.

"Well, Vegeta." Freeza spoke up. "I hope you were comfortable on your trip here."

Vegeta just glowered, and Freeza laughed.

"But don't worry, your pain is going to end tonight."

Trunks felt his heart constrict in his chest. He wasn't sure why he felt this way at the thought of Vegeta dying, but he didn't like it. He tried to reaffirm his resolve. Tried to remember that he hated Vegeta. But he had no luck. He shook his head a little bit, still trying to remain calm. Still, the thought of Vegeta being put to death bothered him. He then realized he did not want Vegeta to die. He wanted to save him. He had no means of doing that without giving himself away, however. He was too wounded to do anything and make it out alive. He tried to calm himself down, but his heart nearly exploded out of his chest when Freeza pointed a finger at him.

"You there," He said, glowering.

Trunks fumbled for words, trying to mask his voice a bit. "Yes sir?"

Freeza stared for a few minutes before pointing to the man next to Trunks. "You both, escort Prince Vegeta to his chambers."

The soldier beside Trunks laughed and saluted. Trunks quickly followed his example and walked over to Vegeta. His heart was pounding in his chest. Of all the turns of fate! Trunks eyes narrowed with resolve as he quickly made his decision. He was going to save Vegeta. Freeza was not going to get the honor of killing his father. He was going to take Vegeta back with him to earth and make him apologize to his mother. The soldier grabbed Vegeta's right arm, leaving Trunks to grab his left, which he did. It felt strange, and he wondered if he'd be able to keep up, if Vegeta decided to fight back. It might give him away. He was surprised when Vegeta offered no resistance when he and the other soldier began to lead him off. He followed the solider with Vegeta and looked back over his shoulder, nervously. He would get as far from Freeza as he could, take out the other guard and make off with Vegeta. Still, it was a risky plan. He would have to wait till they were alone. And he'd have to not get caught. Joy. This was bound to be easy.

The halls were crowded but they all parted easily to let them through. Trunks bit his lip as they kept walking. He let the other guard lead the way, and they ended up going down several flights of stairs and trunks was relieved to see the halls getting less and less crowded. Vegeta stared straight ahead, and Trunks smirked a little bit. Always a predator. Never the prey.

Finally they arrived in front of a small grey cell door, and Trunks looked around him. It was completely deserted. The other guard turned to him and nodded. "Hold him, I'll open the door."

Trunks smirked; they were making this way to easy on him. The guard let go of Vegeta, who still surprisingly offered no resistance or attempt at running away and slid a key card into the lock, which opened the door. Trunks let go of Vegeta's arm, causing the prince to look over at him, raising an eyebrow. Trunks took a step towards the other guard who turned around to face him, but before he could say anything, Trunks threw a punch as quickly and as hard as he possibly could. The solider was knocked back into the cell, and was unconscious before he hit the floor. The look on Vegeta's face was something Trunks would treasure with him for the rest of his life. He grabbed Vegeta's arm again and pulled him into the cell, looking around, to make sure no one was watching.

"Quick, here, turn around." He said, bending down and rooting through the soldier's pockets.

"What?" Vegeta snapped.

"Turn around, I'll free your hands."

"What makes you think I want help from one of Freeza's soldiers?"

Trunks frowned up at him. "First off, you don't have a choice. Secondly, I'm not one of Freeza's soldiers." He stood up, prying the soldier's helmet off his head and removing the armor after that.

"Then who the hell are you?"

Trunks frowned. He would have figured Vegeta could have recognized his voice, but he supposed that was asking too much of the prince. He reached up and pulled his helmet off, wiping some of the sweat and blood off his face. "It's me."

Vegeta's jaw dropped and Trunks snickered a little at the sight. Vegeta walked forward, and glowered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving you at the moment." Trunks said, putting the helmet back on. "Running away from Freeza after that."

"What?"

"I got shanghaied. "

"What?"

"Kidnapped. Earth term." Trunks waved his hand and walked behind Vegeta. He pulled out the guard's key card, and slid it through the slot on the cuffs binding Vegeta's hands. The cuffs popped open, and Trunks slid the card through the collar around his neck and that popped off next. Vegeta rubbed his wrists and neck and looked over at his son. He scoffed a bit and Trunks walked back over to him, and handed him the helmet. "Quick, put these on."

"What for?"

"So we can sneak out of here."

"I will not sneak out of here!" Vegeta yelled. "I owe Freeza pain."

"Yeah, but the way we are now, we couldn't defeat a dishtowel!" Trunks snapped, shoving the helmet towards him. "And I'm not breaking you out so you can go and get yourself killed again!"

Vegeta hesitated and grabbed the helmet from Trunks and slid it on over his hair. He mumbled something but slowly put the armor on as well. "I have to say, I've never had a slave as loyal as you."

Trunks' hair bristled. "I'm not your slave. Not any more." He spat. "And I'm not doing this for you."

"Then who are you doing it for?" Vegeta sneered, sliding his gloves on.

"A woman on earth who's heart you broke." Trunks brushed past Vegeta who stood there, stunned for a moment, and then he looked back at him, and motioned with his hand. "Well? Come on! We have to go! Now!"

Vegeta stood there for a while longer, before turning and bolting after Trunks. And so the two ran. A desperate escape attempt.


	21. Running Further and All for Her

Freeza sat in his throne room, leaning on his chair's arm. So far it had been a good day, he had ended that filthy monkey planet, was going to execute its prince publically, and had even managed to pick up a new toy. A good day indeed. He smirked and kept his cheek pressed into his fist. He had ordered Zarbon to go and get the boy, to bring him to a healing chamber, after all, he had gone through the trouble of saving him, so he might as well keep him healthy a while longer. The boy would certainly make for good entertainment later down the road. He was powerful too; if Freeza could break him he would make for a good weapon. All in all a rare find. The door opened, and Zarbon brushed in without so much as announcing his presence. This would have made Freeza angry on any other occasion, but this time he had just captured the Prince and Zarbon charging in could only mean something had gone wrong. "What is it, Zarbon?"

"The boy, Lord Freeza." Zarbon said, dropping to his knee. "He's gone. He seems to have stolen a guards clothing."

"Oh wonderful." Freeza rolled his eyes. "Well get the soldier's I.D. and set out a search." He shook his head. " I suppose I have time for a quick rabbit chase." Zarbon was silent and it froze Freeza's blood. "That's not all is it?"

"Vegeta is gone too, sir."

Freeza turned around jumping out his chair. "What?"

"The boy must have found a way to free him. We believe they're both disguised as soldiers." Zarbon said, standing up.

"Who would have thought that brat would have been so much trouble…?"

"Shall I order to have him killed on sight, my lord?"

"No, no." Freeza turned around. He narrowed his eyes. "Ground all the ships, make sure they can't get off this planet, and find them. After all, Vegeta has an appointment tonight, and we all know how he hates missing his appointments."

Zarbon bowed his head. "I will not fail you, Lord Freeza. They will be found and captured." He said, folding a hand over his chest. "I swear on my life."

"Good. Because that's exactly what's at stake here, Zarbon."

"Of course, sir."

Zarbon stood up and left the room, and Freeza tapped his scouter letting it run a moment. The boy's power level must have dwindled with his injuries, it would make him harder to find, but they would find him. The boy must have thought he would find an ally in Vegeta. Freeza shook his head. But the boy was cunning, he had to give him that at least.

Or perhaps his soldiers were just incredibly stupid. Either way, someone was going to die for this.

* * *

><p>Trunks peered around a corner, taking deep ragged breaths. He and Vegeta had managed to keep a low profile, but it was hard to do in such a crowded place. Still, no one had called them out yet. This was a good sign. Trunks looked back at his father and beckoned him forwards. "I think we're back up to ground level. Now all we have to do is get outside."<p>

"And then what?"

"Then we hide till we can figure out what to do."

"Hiding. A cowardly thing." Vegeta snorted.

"Sometimes it's necessary."

"You're a fool."

"I'm the fool who saved your life."

"I didn't ask you to."

"Won't happen again, I promise." Trunks said rounding the corner and beginning to walk. "This place is a labyrinth." He muttered, trying to jog on his injured ankle. Suddenly there was a window of hope and opportunity. Literally. It was the first window Trunks had seen, a direct path to the out doors. He smiled letting a sigh of relief escape him, things were going to be alright! They were going to make it! Things were finally going right! It had all been too easy, and Trunks couldn't be happier. He smirked and took up a faster pace, until Zarbon's familiar voice filled the hallways over the intercom.

"Attention all personnel. Two prisoners have escaped and assumed the identity of guards. Find and subdue soldiers 16089 and 78902. Do not use deadly force. Lord Freeza wants them found alive."

Trunks halted, and looked down at the uniform on him. 78902. "Shit, that's me." He looked at Vegeta and noticed the 16089. "We have to go now." He said, pointing to the window. "Quick, we should be able to go through there-"

"Halt!"

Trunks looked at the swarm of soldiers running towards them from the direction the window was in. There was no way they could make it without running directly into the guards. He cursed and turned around. "Run!"

Vegeta didn't have many qualms. Their injuries were too extensive to fight back, and their Ki was bordering on dangerously low. The two of them ran, and Trunks cursed the pain he felt in his ankle. It was inhibiting his running, but he didn't have the energy to fly. He tried bracing his Ki around it, and kept running. Unfortunately it was a hallway that only went two ways with no doors to duck through. So when Trunks saw the soldiers swarming towards them, he nearly fainted. He skidded to a halt behind Vegeta who was crouched in a defensive position. This had to be the shortest-lived escape attempt in the history of escape attempts.

"You didn't think we would let you get away that easy, did you?" The bulging form of Dodoria appeared between the soldiers as he made his way to the front.

Vegeta snarled and pulled the helmet off, and Trunks followed his lead. "You know for a while… yeah. We did. Your security is lax."

"Hmf, you got lucky."

"No, Dodoria, you just got stupid."

The pink alien clenched his fists and ground his teeth. "Well I'm not the one who just got cornered, now am I? Now why don't the two of you come along nice and quiet? It'll be better for the both of you."

"Cornered?" Vegeta smirked. "What are you talking about, Dodoria? We have a gaping door left wide open to us."

"Oh really? What door?"

Vegeta held out his palm parallel to the wall that separated them from outside, and a powerful blast erupted from his palm, blowing the wall open. Vegeta smirked. "That door."

It had been a big show but Trunks could tell it had labored the prince. His legs had started to shake, and there wasn't enough time for Trunks to try and preserve the prince's pride. He summoned up all the Ki he had, grabbed Vegeta from behind and launched himself into the air out the large convenient hole in the wall. Trunks was fast, and a powerful warrior, but the pressure he was putting on his arm was nearly blinding him with pain. He closed his eyes flying as long as he possibly could. However he had hardly noticed his steady decent until he had a face full of dirt. He tumbled and rolled through the grass, and lay there staring up at the sky. He had no more strength left. There was no way he could run anymore. He felt his consciousness start to slip away, and he vaguely wondered where Vegeta was before he fell into darkness.

* * *

><p>Vegeta crashed through the dirt, skidding across the ground. He coughed and pushed himself up looking around. The boy lay in the grass a few feet away from him, a trail of broken trees and torn up dirt in his wake. Vegeta forced himself to stand, stumbling a bit. The Ki blast had taken its toll on him, that was for sure. He wasn't sure how long he had till he joined the boy in the land of sleep. He sighed and walked over to the boy, and looked down at him.<p>

"A woman who's heart I broke…" He whispered. "Bulma, is this boy really your…?" He shook his head and looked over towards Freeza's base. Trunks had managed to put quite a bit of distance between them, but the trail of destruction was a dead give away. He looked back at the boy laying in the dirt, and grimaced. He would only slow him down. He was a liability and had played his part, so therefore Vegeta no longer needed him. Right?

Still the boy's word's rang loud and clear in his mind. If he was Bulma's son then he had even more of a reason to lose him. She had moved on. Had a child. Probably with that scar faced idiot. And the evidence lay there in the dirt, staring him in the face. And yet… he found he couldn't tear himself away. He groaned and reached down, grabbing the boy by the waist and hoisted him up under his arm. The universe had some strange sense of irony and wit, and Vegeta hated it. He slowly made his way deeper into the forest. The boy was right about having to hide. He now had no strength. He couldn't fend off a mosquito, let alone Freeza.

The forest was dense, and filled with large rocks. It was almost too perfect for hiding in. He set Trunks down against a rock and flopped down into the leaves and sticks that littered the forest floor. The boy was gravely injured, Vegeta could tell. He frowned and crawled over, grabbing the boy's armor and pulling it off over his head. He finally got a good look at the wounds. There wasn't a lot of damage, apart from his arm and ankle. Vegeta shook his head. The boy should have known better than to leave it like that. He grabbed the soldier's uniform and tore it along the seams. He grabbed the boy's shoulder and roughly shoved it back into the socket, and then went about setting the bone and wrapping it in the ripped uniform. He braced it up with the armor, and wrapped it again. He made his way to his ankle and gave it the same treatment. It wouldn't have been as bad if it had been treated right away. But they didn't have any luxury of healing tanks, so he would have to make due.

Vegeta slid down on the rock next to the boy and tilted his head back. His own wounds were superficial, to a Saiyan elite at least. They would heal with time. Assuming he was given the time to heal them. Freeza wouldn't let them rest long. Still he had time to sleep, and he was fully prepared to take advantage of that. And so he slipped into the blissful state of sleep, letting his head flop against the stone.

* * *

><p>Trunks woke up groggily. Half of him hadn't been expecting him to wake up at all. But he did and he felt enough to pain to gather that he was not in fact dead. This was a good sign. There was a very dull and pale light shining overhead. Half a moon. It was nighttime. He could see the leaves of trees above him, so he figured he must have landed in a forest. He groaned and tilted his head a bit, until a voice came from his left.<p>

"Awake, boy?"

"Huh?" Trunks pulled himself up. His left arm was too stiff to move and his ankle was in a similar position. He figured it was too swollen to move about, but a glance at it revealed it had been wrapped and braced. He blinked a few times and looked over at Vegeta who was standing a few feet away from him. "Vegeta? Did you do this?"

"Prince Vegeta." Vegeta snapped. "You may not have that collar on any more, but I am still a prince."

Trunks turned away, and looked around him. "Where are we?"

"The forest outside of Freeza's base. We'll have to move soon." Vegeta turned to him. Trunks looked up at his father, and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Why did you save me?"

Trunks couldn't see the look Vegeta was giving him through the darkness. "That woman you mentioned earlier. The one who's heart I broke." He spoke quietly and Trunks started a bit. He had almost forgot mentioning that. "You were talking about Bulma weren't you?"

Trunks turned around, folding his wounded arm over his chest, pulling a scrap of his uniform he noticed laying about. He fashioned it into a makeshift sling and tied his arm to it. "Yes. "He whispered.

"She's your mother, isn't she?"

"She is."

"I knew it."

Trunks looked up, shocked. "You knew?"

"Part of me." Vegeta said, turning away from him. "You have her eyes." He said, tilting his head back. "That was part of the reason I bought you."

"… You knew and you bought me? You used me as a slave even though you knew?"

Vegeta snorted. "I had suspicions, I didn't really know." He shook his head. "Besides, she'd moved on. I should have long ago."

"Moved on?"

"You're here aren't you?" He turned around. "Tell me, did she shack up with that scar faced bastard? He was a weakling, I can't imagine her settling for someone like that."

Trunks could hardly believe his ears. "Yamucha?" He couldn't believe it. Vegeta hadn't been able to piece together that he was his father. Trunks shook his head, and leaned his head into his hands. "No, Yamucha isn't my…" He sighed and looked over. "Look, didn't you wonder why I was so strong?"

"True. You couldn't be that strong if you were his child."

Insult aside, Trunks pressed on. "I'm so strong because I'm half Saiyan."

Vegeta turned on him, and Trunks could see the shock in his eyes. He was surprised though when he saw that shock turn to anger. Vegeta walked up to his son, holding up a fist. "That whore! You're telling me your Kakarot's boy? She took up with that son of a bitch!"

Trunks blinked in surprise. Kakarot? Oh, Goku. He had heard Goku had been called that a long time ago. He had never gotten it though. He shook the surprise from his face and shook his head violently. "What? No!"

"Then who? Another Saiyan? One of my men?"

"She loved YOU, you moron!"

Vegeta stumbled back a few paces. Trunks glared at him a few moments, and Vegeta could only stare. "You're… my…?"

Trunks looked forwards again, glaring into the darkness. He nodded.

"You're my son?"

He nodded again.

"And you didn't think this was relevant before now!"

"I didn't know before now!" Trunks yelled, jumping to his feet. "Yamucha, that scar faced bastard as you called him, told me at the tournament! Whenever I asked my mother she said my father was dead!"

Vegeta looked as though Trunks had just punched him in the gut. His eyes turned violent. "Dead? That whore said I was dead?"

Trunks lunged, but Vegeta managed to side step. "Don't you dare talk about my mother that way!" He stood up. "Of course she said you were dead! She probably hoped to god you were! I wouldn't blame her!"

Vegeta snarled and took a step forwards. "Don't talk about things you don't understand, brat!"

"Oh, I understand all right! It's all so clear why she never wanted to talk about you. Why she cried when she thought about you."

"Shut up."

"No."

"You're impossible, boy."

"I guess that's proof that I'm your son then!"

Trunks was half expecting Vegeta to shoot him then and there and kill him, but to his surprise Vegeta just laughed. "My son. I don't have a son, brat. You're an illegitimate mistake I should never have made."

Trunks fumed. "I didn't ask for you to be my father."

"Then why did you save me? If you hate me so much, you should have just thrown me to the wolves."

"I thought about it."

"Then why?"

Trunks turned away. "Because of her."

Vegeta frowned and turned away, folding his arms exasperated. He didn't turn to face Trunks for a long time, before he spoke up. "Your hair is purple."

"What?"

"Saiyans have black hair."

"Well, my mother had blue hair, and I am half human."

"No tail, either?"

"No." Trunks turned his head. "I wasn't born with one."

"A half breed runt, with no tail, and purple hair." Vegeta turned around. "I'm so proud." He said, sarcastically. He sat down on a log, and Trunks watched him, before sitting down himself.

"So then why did you save me?"

Vegeta looked up at him, and frowned. "What?"

"You could have left me back where we landed. Why save me?"

Vegeta smirked and shook his head. "Why else? For her."


	22. Lessons to Learn and Great Return

The night remained relatively quiet for a long time. No more words passed between father and son and the two sat in silence in the dark cold of the forest. They both had agreed they had needed to move on, and yet they both just sat there, not moving. Vegeta folded his arms in front of his mouth and scowled at the darkness. It was freezing, but making a fire was absolutely out of the question. It would just get them found much quicker. He shot a look at the boy who was still leaning up against the rock he had laid him against. He then looked back at the floor.

His son. That boy over there was his son. His eyes darkened into a glare, and he shook his head. He wasn't sure what to make of that new information. When he had left Bulma hadn't mentioned anything about being pregnant. But then again, from what he understood about humans, it took awhile for even them to notice.

He looked over at the boy again, and frowned. He almost didn't want believe it, but the evidence was hardly refutable. There was no way the boy could know about his relations with Bulma unless he really was his son. And it explained the strength as well. Vegeta shook his head again, rubbing his temples. He had never wanted a son. He had never asked for a son. So why did he suddenly have one sitting three feet away from him? Sitting there in absolute silence with nothing but his thoughts was driving him crazy. He had to move.

Vegeta stood up and Trunks looked up at him curiously. Vegeta cracked his shoulders, and looked down at the boy. "We have to move now."

Trunks looked away from him and stared straight ahead again. "Then go."

"I said we, brat."

"I can't."

"What?" Vegeta folded his arms.

"I can't move." Trunks shook his head.

Vegeta sighed and reached up rubbing his forehead. The forefront of his mind told him to leave the boy, and continue on his own, but that nagging part of brain which was becoming steadily more annoying, wouldn't let him leave the boy there. He walked forwards and grabbed the boy under the arm. The boy gasped and instantly started to squirm, and Vegeta grunted. "Hold still, brat." He said, hauling him up and pulling him onto his back. He hooked his arms under Trunks' legs and adjusted him up. "Hold onto my shoulders and don't fall off. If you do I'm not going back for you."

Trunks wrapped his arm around Vegeta's shoulders, his bad arm still pressed to his chest. "Thank you." He said grudgingly.

"Whatever."

Trunks snickered and laid his head down on his arm, over Vegeta's shoulder. Vegeta trudged through the foliage, staring down at the litter of the forest floor. It felt better to be moving, even if it was putting a heavy toll on his body. The boy wasn't small, and light but it wasn't anything Vegeta couldn't handle. This way he could keep his mind on escaping, and staying alive rather than thinking of his son who was on his back.

The two trudged on for what seemed like hours. Vegeta was able to keep his mind on his pain, and getting as far from Freeza's base as possible, but his thoughts were jarred when Trunks sat up abruptly on his back. He nearly fell over.

"What is your problem boy?" He snapped, looking back.

"There are a few strong Ki's coming up behind us. They're coming up fast."

"What?" Vegeta stopped. "Have you lost your mind, boy? There's no way you could possibly know that." The boy wasn't even wearing a scouter.

"You're not hiding your power level." The boy snapped from behind him. "You need to repress your Ki!"

"Repress my… What?" Vegeta looked back. "If you spout more of that nonsense I'll drop you here, brat. This is not the time to lose your mind."

Trunks was panicking looking back. "They're getting closer!"

"Who is?"

Then, with no warning whatsoever, Vegeta found himself surrounded. Five figures dropped from the sky all around him. He narrowed his eyes and a scowl appeared on his face. "… Fuck."

* * *

><p>Trunks felt himself hit the ground before he realized he had been dropped. He winced and rubbed his back, pushing himself into a sitting position. He could move a bit more now, and stood up shakily. It was nearly impossible to put weight onto his ankle, but he managed somehow. The figures that surrounded them were strong. Very strong. Well, except the short stubby one to his left, there was nothing all that impressive about him, but that just served to make Trunks more apprehensive. He turned around trying to brace himself in a defensive position.<p>

"Men?" The man at the front, who appeared to be the leader, spoke up.

"Yes sir!"

And then, one by one, they began to strike poses, going in a circle.

"Jheese!"

"Butta!

"Recoome!"

"Gurd!"

"Captain Ginyu!"

"Together we are…" They all spoke together. "The Ginyu special force!"

Trunks' defensive pose had shifted into a rather defenseless confused stance. He could do nothing but stare at them, blinking a few times. His mouth hung open a little bit. "Are these guys for real?"

"Unfortunately yes. Brace yourself. This isn't going to be big on dignity." Vegeta hissed to him.

Trunks could only stand there, staring as the group of men surrounding him maintained their poses. He felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead. "They're… so lame."

"Hey!" The red skinned man, who has announced himself as Jheese, yelled pointing at him. "Our poses inspire grace, and raise morale!"

"Uh… Sure." Trunks, stood up straight, and shrugged. "Yeah, I can totally tell that's what you were going for."

"Jheese don't engage the prisoners. We're just here to take them back." The leader, or Captain Ginyu, said, brushing his shoulder armor off.

"Yes, Captain."

"They won't get away from me," The blue one, said smirking, tapping his temple. "So don't bother running." He, Butta as he had yelled out, held his hands out. "After all I am the fastest thing in the universe."

Trunks blinked. Sure they had been fast, but he had definitely seen faster. Goku and Piccolo had this guy beat, no question. Still, Trunks didn't have the energy to make a run for it, let alone fly away. So at the moment, the boast might as well have been true. He decided to keep his mouth shut about it.

"You two should just surrender now!" The little green one pointed. Gurd, if Trunks remembered correctly.

"Or don't." The biggest of the group, Recoome, said scratching his ear. "We'll bring you back either way. One way is just more fun than the other."

The whole group laughed, and Trunks saw Vegeta roll his eyes and fold his arms. "I'm sorry, are you going to stand there talking all night or were you actually going to do something?"

"Well, Veggie! What a surprise. Such big talk coming from someone who can hardly stand." Ginyu, folded his arms and Trunks looked back at Vegeta, raising an eyebrow.

"Veggie?" He snorted. "You know these guys?"

"We know of each other. One makes a point to know ones enemies."

"Who are they?"

"The most powerful soldiers in Freeza's army."

Trunks almost fell over. "_These guys_ are the most powerful people in Freeza's army?" He said, pointing. "You're kidding!"

"Problem, boy?"

"No, no problem just… _Wow_."

"Don't be fooled by looks." Vegeta cautioned. "They're very powerful. And in our current state, we're at a disadvantage."

Well that was true enough. Trunks felt better after a few hours of rest, but with his arm still broken, there wasn't a whole lot he could do. "So do we fight?" He whispered.

"Oh please do." Recoome said, cracking his knuckles.

"Of course we fight. We're Saiyans, boy. Saiyans do not surrender."

Trunks shook his head. "Works for me." He said, raising his arm. This was probably a stupid idea. But then again, he was low on options.

* * *

><p>"So this if Freeza's base planet?" Goten peered out the window, his face pressed up against the ice-cold glass. "It's covered in guards." He said, pulling away, to look at the others on the space ship. "How are we going to land?"<p>

Kuririn shook his head. "I don't know… There has to be some part of the planet we can land on."

Bardock walked over, putting a hand on the back of the seat. "You don't have to land." He said, looking down at the planet. "Stay up here, and we'll go down to the planet on our own. Raditz me and the kid. Since we're the strongest ones up here."

"What? No, you can't!" Yamucha said, standing up.

"Why not?"

"Because it's space." He said, pointing to the window. "You'll die out there!"

Bardock shook his head. "You've been watching too many movies. The most we'll have to worry about is suffocating out there." He folded his arms. "First of all we're Saiyans, we can withstand hostile environments better than most species. We're a warrior race so our bodies have good restorative properties. So our skin and circulatory system will do a fine job of protecting our body."

"What about freezing to death?"

"Also not a problem for at least a while. That would take a few hours. There's not a lot out there to take our heat. Like I said, the only thing we'll have to worry about is suffocation." He turned to Goten. "How long can you hold your breath?"

"A while." Goten answered, nodding.

"Then the three of us go down there, grab the prince and Trunks and come back up here." He said, folding his arms. "Simple solution."

All the humans in the room exchanged glances. "Alright." Tienshinhan said, folding his arms. "If you're not back within a few hours, we'll send No. 18 down for you. Deal?"

Bardock shrugged. "Whatever makes you feel better." He turned to his grandson. "Let's go." He looked to Raditz who nodded, and walked over to the hatch to climb down to the air lock. Goten followed and Bardock went through after them. He had never been in space before, well, not without some sort of protective shielding, at least. But still, he trusted his grandfather. He looked up at Bardock who closed the hatch behind them, and walked over. "Ready, you two?"

"Ready." Goten nodded looking down at the doors they stood on. He was about to dive through space to the planet below. First time for everything. This was going to be exciting at the very least. The doors open and Goten jumped down, tucking his feet under him, and blasting downwards, propelling himself down towards the planet below.

If he could have spoken, he would have screamed with delight. He had never had that much fun before. He smirked as he rocketed downwards. _Just you wait, Trunks. I'm coming._

* * *

><p>Freeza had almost begun to think that sending the Ginyu force was over kill. After all, they did have a tendency to go overboard, and if they were to kill Vegeta, needless to say he wouldn't be too happy about it. That was to be an honor reserved specifically to him. Still, they were good at what they did, and if Freeza ordered them back alive, they would be brought back alive. Freeza ran a hand over his mouth. The boy had crossed him though, and that was unforgivable. Maybe he would put the boy to death with Vegeta that evening? Or maybe keep him around for a few years, force him to swear loyalty and use him a bit before killing him. Either way the boy would die at his hand. He was certain of that much. It was just a matter of timing. He'd figure it out by tonight. The doors slid open and Freeza looked out of the corner of his eye at Zarbon.<p>

"Well?"

"The Ginyu Force found them. They were in the woods."

"And?"

"They're being subdued as we speak."

"Good." Freeza looked back at the window, folding his arms behind his back. "It seems I won't have to kill you after all, Zarbon."

"There is one more thing, Lord Freeza."

"And that would be?"

"Scouters detected three large power levels coming towards the planet." Zarbon raised his head. "One of them is… quite large."

"How large?"

"Large enough to be a threat."

Freeza sighed and leaned his head into his hands. "Very well, send a group of soldiers to Ginyu's position to bring those two back to me, and then have the Ginyu force go and investigate those power levels. One distraction after another. It's almost like they're trying to buy time."

"Yes, Lord Freeza. I shall accompany the men to bring those two back myself."

"Good idea, Zarbon."

With those words he was alone again. He sighed and shook his head. Those Saiyans had always been too much trouble, and now that boy whose life he had been kind enough to save was giving him grief. He would never understand people's motives. It seemed like it should be natural to submit to someone stronger than you, power ran the world and the weak served no other purpose than to serve the strong. So why were these two trying to defy the natural order of things? Sometimes people could be so inconsiderate. Freeza folded his hands behind his back again and let his tail flick about lazily. It was true Vegeta had beaten him, and so he had backed away from the situation. That didn't mean he had given up though, he simply had to bide his time until the time came to strike the monkey prince down once and for all. And now, thanks to his brother, his hand had been forced much too early.

Still, things had somehow managed to work out. The day had been right, the circumstances had been right, and frankly Freeza couldn't have been more pleased with how the whole situation had ended up. Despite all that he was left with a bitter taste in his mouth. He was not a fan of Cooler butting his nose in where it didn't belong and he would have been able to handle the Saiyans just fine without his beloved brother's interference.

Victory would have tasted so much sweeter if he had been able to slowly supplant Vegeta's kingdom and then turn on him and watch him writhe in confusion. Saiyans had never been too bright, and he supposed taking Krill had been a bit of a mistake. Still he would have been able to get away with it for years if he wanted to. Freeza would have to have words with his meddling family later. He stood in his room, contemplating his next move for what felt like only a few minutes. However, it seemed at least an hour had passed and now, Zarbon was back in the doorway, standing there with Dodoria, both looking rather triumphant.

"Lord Freeza the prisoners have been retrieved, as you ordered."

"Good." Freeza landed, letting his feet touch the floor. "Where are they now?"

"Under lock and key, in our strongest prison."

"Very good, Zarbon." He turned towards his second in command. He took a few steps forward, and smirked. "Go and get the Trial ready. I'm not going to wait any longer."

Zarbon bowed deeply. "Yes sir." And with a flourish of his cape he was gone. Freeza smirked and looked towards the door. He'd go have a few words in private with his new toys before he broke them. That would be amusing for a little while. He snapped his fingers and motioned for Dodoria and a squad of guards to follow him. He slowly made his way down to the dungeon, and halted. His prisoners seemed to be having a conversation. Vegeta was talking.

"Of course I meant it, brat. I never asked for a-"

"Things don't always come along exactly when you want them." The boy was talking now.

"I never wanted it."

"Well it happened!" The boy snapped, and Freeza felt a smirk grow on his face. "To tell the truth, I don't care. You can run away from it if you want."

"I don't 'run away'." Vegeta said harshly.

"You did run away. You ran away from her."

"Don't talk about things you don't understand."

"Then tell me, so I do understand."

There was silence in the room.

"Why did you leave?"

There was more silence.

"Didn't you care?"

"Ahem." Freeza stood in front of the cell door, as it swung open. "I do hope I'm not interrupting." He said, walking inside. "It's good to see you two get along so well."

Both prisoners in the room turned to look at him, and Freeza was more than pleased with the hate mixed with fear in their eyes. Both stood on opposite walls, their hands pulled out to the side and chained to the wall, a Ki restraining collar put back over their necks. The chains were reinforced this time, Freeza wasn't taking any chances. Vegeta simply snorted and turned his head. "Not at all, it wasn't a conversation I wanted to have anyways."

"Avoiding it is the same as running away."

Vegeta shot a harsh glare over to the boy on the opposite wall, and snarled. "Really, boy? Is this is a conversation you want to have in front of Freeza?"

Freeza folded his arms behind his back. "Oh do go on. Don't let me stop you."

The youth on the left wall turned his head and lowered it, a sign of submission, but not to Freeza. He was conceding victory to Vegeta. Freeza smiled and rocked back onto his heels, looking back at Dodoria who was just as amused by this as he was. "Well you don't really have much time left, you might as well clear the air now."

"What do you want, Freeza?" Vegeta sneered. "Come to gloat? That's awfully petty."

"I just came down to see the two of you." Freeza said, looking like a hurt puppy. "I was very hurt by your actions after all. I mean, I provided you with such hospitality and you destroy part of my base. It's hurtful, Vegeta." He turned his attention to Trunks. "And as for you, I'm not used to having someone throw my kindness back in my face the same way you have. I saved your life, and you repay me with such impoliteness." He said, shaking his head. "Since you seem to want to stay with Vegeta so badly, maybe I should just have you executed with him. What do you think?"

Vegeta's head snapped over, and he glared, but the youth didn't seem all that phased. He looked over at the tyrant, an angry glare on his face. "I'd die free, at least."

"Oh come now," Freeza sighed. "Don't say that!" He walked into the middle of the room and stood to face Trunks, leaning in close. "I'll make you a deal. You apologize to me, and swear your loyalty, and I'll let you live. I'll even heal your wounds and give you a nicer room." He smirked. "Of course, I'd have to leave you down here a while longer, just to make sure you've learned your lesson. All in all a very nice deal, don't you think?"

Trunks spat in response, and Freeza sighed, wiping the substance off his cheek. "Now that was rather rude." He shook his head. "Fine, then if that's the way you want it-"

"Apologize to him, Trunks."

All heads turned towards Vegeta. Freeza turned around, shocked at the prince's words. The boy behind him looked even more shocked. "What?"

"Apologize and swear your loyalty to him." Vegeta said, narrowing his eyes. "Do it now."

Trunks' eyes widened and he leaned forwards, jostling the chains a bit. "What? No! I'd never—"

"Do as I say, now!" Vegeta snapped, his voice rising to a deafening roar. "Have you no respect for me? As your last act to me… do as I say."

The boy stood there in shocked silence, and Freeza was just as shocked. He couldn't for the life of him fathom Vegeta's motives; they made no sense to him. Was he trying to save the boy? What for? The brat had been a slave. Had Vegeta rally grown attached to a mere slave? All in all it was amusing as hell. Freeza couldn't stop the smile from spreading over his face as he looked back to the boy, raising an eyebrow just to see what the purple haired slave would do. The boy looked conflicted and confused.

"I…" He whispered the word, his voice shaking. "I'm sorry." He looked over at Freeza. "I'm sorry." He said it louder, his voice still shaking a little bit. "… I'll serve you."

Freeza tilted his head back and laughed. He hadn't felt so good in years. "There now, see?" He reached over and patted Trunks on the cheek. "That wasn't so hard, was it? And you've just saved your own life. At least you know when to listen to reason." He wiped some of the blood off Trunks' forehead, smirking as the boy winced and recoiled from his touch. He raised his hand to his mouth and licked the blood off. He then turned around to face Vegeta, and walked over. "I'd offer you the same deal, Vegeta but… to let's be honest. You said yourself you'd destroy me if given the opportunity. It breaks my heart to say it, but you simply have to die." He sighed dramatically and motioned to the guards. "Bring him up to the court room. He must be tried for his sins." He turned around and stepped aside as the guards walked in and grabbed Vegeta's arms, unclipping them and hauling him forwards.

Vegeta looked over at the boy, who was staring at him, horrified. Vegeta just smirked. "What the hell is that look for? You're his now. No need for you to look so loyal."

Trunks leaned forwards. "Loyal my ass!" He said, leaning into the restraints. "You don't get to do this!" He yelled. "You don't get to die!" He shook his head.

Vegeta just laughed and allowed the guards to restrain his arms again. "Foolish brat." He said, shaking his head. "If you ever see that woman again, give her an apology from me."

"Tell her yourself." Trunks said, continuing to fight against his restraints. "I'm not going to be your damn messenger, you tell her yourself!"

"Maybe someday I will."

Freeza smirked, and tilted his head. Woman? Apology? What the hell had gotten into that monkey prince? Well it was still funny, so Freeza didn't really care. Vegeta was lead up to him, and he smiled. "Are you ready to atone for your sins, Vegeta?"

Vegeta smirked. "Yes. I am."

* * *

><p>Vegeta had tried to pretend he didn't know why he had saved Trunks' life, but he knew the answer all too well. He walked quietly behind Freeza, flanked by two soldiers and followed closely by Dodoria. He stared at his wrists that were bound together in front of him and his thoughts turned to his own planet and he was struck by just how ugly it was in his memories.<p>

Even from his memories as a child, the landscape of the planet he ruled over was… ugly. Dull and muted, and somewhat monochromatic. It had nothing but a melancholy feel to it, and what he used to call home seemed like a foreign land to him now. Not that it mattered. The planet was destroyed, along with most of the Saiyan race. His father was dead. Nappa most likely bit the dust too, along with Raditz. There were bound to be a few Saiyans on their occupied planets, but that would fall apart quickly, without their leader to guide them. Freeza would take advantage of that; there was no doubt about it.

Vegeta looked down at the floor and narrowed his eyes. Those memories, those thoughts brought him no joy, and looking back he found that most of his memories were the same. Joyless. He could hardly find any pleasure in slaughtering armies, taking over civilizations, and being the warrior he was born to be.

And no matter how hard he tried to hide it, there could only be one explanation. Bulma. The damn bitch had ruined him. In those years he had spent there, she had somehow found her way through all his weaknesses, and made her way into his heart. It had gone past sex, it had gone past the physical and become about so much more than that.

The boy was right, he had run from it. He had shamelessly chosen to run and hide from those things, and from the person she made him into. And in doing so, he had left her pregnant with his son, who he had later bought and used as a slave. The universe had a cruel sense of humor, or perhaps it was just trying to punish him for throwing away the only person who saw him for what he was, and loved him anyways. Part of the Prince's proud brain tried to shove those thoughts out of his mind. Those were weak thoughts, the kind of thing he had been told to stay away from and avoid his entire life.

Vegeta was led to a pair of doors, which opened obligingly and Vegeta was shoved through as Freeza rose up, to sit in a chair above a platform. The room was filled with spectators, all of who were cheering and whooping wildly as Vegeta was forced to his knees on the platform. He frowned and looked up. He was going to stare death in the face. He was no coward.

He saw Freeza grinning down at him, and Zarbon standing next to him. He smirked a little bit. He knew as soon as Trunks was healed he would be strong enough to break out, and get away. He had bought the boy time, at least. He knew the boy wouldn't serve Freeza even if it had been Vegeta's last order. He smiled a bit more, and closed his eyes a moment picturing Bulma's face. He had saved Trunks for her. His final apology to her.

And to his son.

* * *

><p>Goten, Bardock and Raditz had touched down on the planet a few minutes ago, but Goten wasn't nearly ready to get back up again. He was out of breath and not to mention freezing. He was on his hands and knees as Bardock walked up behind him. "You alright there, kid?"<p>

"Gimme a minute… I've never jumped out of a space ship before."

"Fun, wasn't it?"

"Oh hell yeah." Goten stood up, breathing heavily. "I think I'll wait a while longer before I do it again though." He said, rubbing the back of his head. He looked around him and noticed there was almost nothing in sight. He looked back at Bardock, grabbing his arm. "Hey, where's Freeza's base?"

"Dunno, we landed a bit off." Bardock said, setting his hands on his hips. Raditz climbed up, onto a rock and narrowed his eyes.

"Can't see a damn thing. My scouter is picking up the highest concentration of Ki in that direction though." He said pointing off to Goten's left. "That's probably where they are."

"Probably." Bardock looked down at Goten. "You can do that thing too right? Sensing Ki with no scouter."

Goten nodded. "Trunks' Ki is over there." He pointed in the same direction Raditz was pointing in. "So is that Prince guy." Goten said, folding his arms. "If he's Trunks' dad, does that make Trunks a prince too?"

"Yup." Raditz said rolling his eyes. "He's a bona fide royal to a planet that doesn't exist anymore, let's talk regal hierarchy some other time and go save those two." He said, jerking a thumb in that direction. "We don't know when Freeza plans to execute our prince."

Bardock nodded. "Let's go."

Suddenly the lights on both their scouters lit up and the hairs on the back of Goten's neck stood up. They all knew something was coming, and it was something big. Goten braced himself, turning around as the Ki exploded, coming to an abrupt halt, and the three of them were faced with five figures standing in front of them. Goten stood there, utterly shocked at the suddenness they had appeared and took a step back at the staggering power levels they all possessed.

"It's not often we get two fights in one day, is it gentlemen?"

"No, sir!"

"Let's let these fine men know who we are."

"Jheese!"

"Butta!"

"Recoome!"

"Gurd!"

"Ginyu!"

They all struck a pose as they spoke, leaving all Saiyans staring at them, stunned. Raditz held up a hand. "These guys… are the Ginyu force?"

"They're so…" Bardock started, raising an eyebrow.

"Cool!"

All eyes were on Goten, who was staring at the group of people all starry eyed. He was smiling and mimicking a few of their poses. "Just like my big brother, when he goes around as Great Saiyaman!" He jumped up, doing another pose as he did so. "Your costumes are kind of weird though." He said, raising both his hands to his head. "You guys should have helmets and capes."

"Helmets…?" Jheese spoke up, staring at Goten, eyes wide.

"And capes?" Butta completed, turning his head.

Bardock raised a hand over his eyes, sighing and shaking his head. "What part of the family could you _possibly_ get that from?"

Raditz looked over. "Maybe Kakarot took a few shocks to the head."

Ginyu cleared his throat, and drew everyone's attention back to them. "Yes, well. You three are trespassing on Lord Freeza's territory. So I'm afraid you'll have to die."

"Wow, you guys are harsh." Goten said, shaking his head.

"Yes well, we are the most feared group in the universe. We can't be soft now can we?" Ginyu said, smirking. "Alright men, let's divvy them up! I'll be taking the tall one, naturally. He has the highest power level."

"How unfair, captain." Recoome said, frowning. "You always get the toughest."

Bardock looked down at Goten who was fuming. Goten had explained earlier his ability to suppress his Ki, and he noticed his grandfather's Ki was in fact the largest of them when he was suppressing it. Still it irked him, that they thought he wasn't the strongest. Bardock smirked at him, and put a hand on his head. "Did you want him, Goten?"

Goten looked up, and smirked. "I could take two of them, if you guys don't want to."

"Generous of you." Bardock said, looking up.

"Now, wait a minute!" Butta said, taking a step forwards. "We're the ones deciding the match ups here!"

"No way!" Goten said, jumping up. "I want to fight him!" He said, pointing at Ginyu.

Raditz cracked his knuckles. "I'll take the big stupid one." He said, nodding at Recoome. "If you don't mind, father."

Bardock shrugged. "Not leaving me with much, are you? Fine, I'll take whatever's left. Whoever wants to go first. I'll leave that up to them."

Goten smirked, crouching into a defensive position, holding up his hands. "Alright! No one take too long, okay? We have to plow through these guys quickly, so we can go save Trunks and his dad."

With that, the two groups launched into battle. Goten was surging with renewed energy thanks to the senzu he had consumed, and he was ready to take this guy on. He lunged forwards, grabbing onto the man's horns before Ginyu could even get a punch in. He ducked down through the gap and threw all his weight into hauling him down into the dirt. He pumped his Ki up as high as it would go and summoned it to his fists, turning around and sending a blast into the ground. His hair bristled when he sensed it hadn't connected. He frowned and turned around, to look at Ginyu who was standing behind him. He smirked and curled his fingers.

"I might get a challenge out of this."

* * *

><p>The fight carried on for longer than Goten would have liked. He was crouched down, breathing heavily and wiping blood from his chin. "Well… this isn't going the way I hoped it would." He chuckled and stood up straight. Raditz and Bardock were having similar trouble with their own fights. Things were not going the way he had hoped at all. He staggered a bit. He had just eaten a Senzu too, this sucked. Ginyu hadn't been unscathed, but Goten had taken more of a pounding than he had. He hadn't been expecting them to be quite that strong. He lunged into battle again, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks at his opponent. Ginyu managed to block the majority of them, but a few had managed to hit nonetheless. Goten landed again, his feet scraping against the ground leaving trails in the dirt. He closed his eyes as tightly as he could, and prayed Trunks was still all right. He had wasted too much time here, and now he had to finish it quickly. He summoned all the Ki he had and pulled his hands back behind him.<p>

"Ka…"He started out bringing his Ki into his fingers and summoning a ball to his hands. "Me… Ha… Me…" The attack was certainly taking its toll on him. His father was much quicker at it, and Ginyu wasn't waiting around to find out what it did. Goten closed his eyes and pushed his hands forwards. "HA!"

The Ki exploded from his hands, and he smirked at the feeling of it connecting with his foe. He laughed, and stood up rubbing a hand under his nose. "I did it…" He said, smiling. It had been a while since he had done that attack, and he was satisfied with the results. Or at least he would have been, if Ginyu hadn't been still standing there. Goten's face fell. Ginyu was injured sure, but not enough to incapacitate him. He curled his fists and bent his knees to prepare for the inevitable onslaught of attacks from the angry injured alien.

His attention was drawn elsewhere, as he heard Bardock's cry of pain. He turned around, his first mistake as he saw his grandfather his the ground and saw Raditz quickly follow suit. "Grandpa! Uncle!" He gasped, reaching over.

Suddenly he felt an elbow connect with the back of his neck and he went flying. He landed face down a few feet away from Bardock and looked up. Bardock was looking down at him, wincing through a smile. "Hey kid."

"Hey, Gramps." He couldn't feel any pain. A bad sign. "Where's uncle?"

"Next to me." Bardock reached over and put a hand on Goten's head as Ginyu walked to stand over them. The rest of the Ginyu force followed suit and they all started to charge up their own respective Ki. Goten looked up, and found for whatever reason he could hardly move. Ginyu must have hit a pressure point. Either that or snapped his neck. He winced and looked up at Bardock who just smiled at him. "Everything's going to be alright."

The Ki that Goten could only assume was going to be the thing that ended his life was charging, and the group of people above him kept laughing. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the worst.

"Hey!"

Goten opened his eyes suddenly.

"Get the hell away from my son!"

Goten looked up as Ginyu went flying. The rest of the Ginyu force stopped charging their attack and looked over, just as awed as Goten was. Tears instantly sprang to Goten's eyes as he looked up, a smile spreading over his face. He forced his hand to rise up, and reached forwards.

"Father!"


	23. Together Through Fair or Stormy Weather

Goku stood on the battlefield, between the group of aliens and his youngest son. He looked down as Goten reached up to him, tears shining in his eyes. "Father!" He called out, and Goku smiled.

"Yo, Goten. I'm sorry for being so late."

Goten just smiled up at him, letting his hand fall back down. "I missed you."

"Yeah." Goku nodded and looked back at the men who had dared to lay a hand on his son. He then looked over as two more Ki flashed behind him, and he looked back at Gohan and Piccolo who stood there, with their arms folded. Gohan spotted Goten and ran over, dropping to his knees and pulling his little brother into his arms. Goku heard his youngest choke with relief and he smiled. He then noticed the two others who were lying on the ground near Goten and frowned. "Are these people friends of yours, Goten?"

Goten laughed a bit, but choked and was instantly hushed by his older brother. Goku smiled and turned back to the enemies. "Well, that can wait. Just hold tight, Goten. Daddy will get rid of these guys for you."

"You?" Ginyu had picked himself back up and was walking back towards them. "Don't make me laugh! Men! Kill him!"

Goku looked back over his shoulder. "Piccolo, maybe you should help me on this one."

Piccolo snorted and shook his head. "You're helpless. Fine." He walked up beside Goku and folded his arms. "This will be over in five seconds."

"Uh huh." Goku said, holding his hands up.

The group of people before him laughed and Jheese raised his hand pointing at Goku. "You? Beat us! Please! Your power level is measly at best."

"Captain, let us take care of this." Butta said, walking up next to his partner. "We'll dispose of these two quickly."

Ginyu sighed and folded his arms. "Very well, I suppose I have no choice. Kill them, Jheese, Butta."

"Yes sir!" The two ran forwards, Jheese separating to take on Goku. Goku didn't move a muscle as Jheese through a particularly powerful punch at Goku's jaw. At the last minute he raised on finger and blocked the attack. He narrowed his eyes and Jheese backed away, the fear he was feeling evident in his eyes.

"I will never forgive you…" He said, quietly. "For hurting my son!" He hauled his fist back and hit Jheese square between the eyes. Jheese went flying, smashing through boulders and trees. Goku looked over at Piccolo who had Butta by the throat, and looked forwards. "Piccolo, you can take the rest. I want the purple guy."

"Hmf, fine." Piccolo said, dropping Butta. "Easy enough."

"You think you can take me! The great captain Ginyu? You fool!"

The great captain Ginyu never got a chance to finish his boast, as Goku punched him in the jaw. He went flying just as Jheese had, but Goku was ready for that. In a flash he was behind Ginyu to knock him into the ground. He jumped up into the air, and blasted downwards with his Ki. He landed deftly next to Ginyu and rotated his shoulder. "It's been so long since I've been able to cut loose like this." He said, grinning. His grin faded and he looked down at Ginyu and his eyes darkened. "I won't let you get away with hurting my son." He brought his foot down on Ginyu's head, sending him into the realm of unconsciousness. He straightened and looked over at Piccolo who was still locked in combat with Recoome. He shook his head, figuring he had it, and walked back over to his two sons. He knelt down and put a hand on Goten's forehead.

"Man, Goten. You sure grew up on me."

Goten smiled up at him a little and tears ran down his face. "Dad… Gohan…even Piccolo." He smiled, shutting his eyes. "You guys are all here."

"Of course we are." Gohan said, smiling. "We promised we'd come back."

"Sorry it took so long, Goten." Goku said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "Are you okay? You're hurt."

"I think I might be paralyzed."

"Ah, well that's okay." Goku reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag. "We've got some Senzu." He said, leaning over, and holding it up to Goten's mouth. "Here, you eat that."

Goten took it and sat up almost instantly, flexing and feeling his wounds close and his energy be restored. He instantly threw his arms around his father and brother. "I'm so happy you're here!"

Goku laughed and patted his son on the back. "By the way Goten." He said, pulling his son back. "Who are these people with you?"

Goten gasped and jumped up, pulling himself over onto his hands and knees and grabbing the Senzu bag out of Goku's hands. "Grandpa! Uncle!" He crawled over next to Bardock and put a hand on his chest. "Are you okay?"

"Grandpa?" Goku blinked.

"Uncle?" Gohan echoed.

Goten looked back at his family and nodded. "Dad, this is your dad, Bardock. And that's your brother, Raditz. They both helped me out a lot!"

"Eh! My dad! My brother? No way!" Goku stood up and walked over.

"Wow." Gohan put his hands on his hips. "He looks just like you, dad!"

"Huh? You think so?" Goku scratched the back of his head.

He noticed his son fumbling with the senzu and he knelt next to Goten taking the bag from him. He slid a Senzu out and handed it to Goten who promptly forced it through Bardock's lips. Goku knelt next to Raditz and pushed his jaw open, forcing the bean through. The first thing he was greeted with was Raditz's fist flying at his face. He caught it, and blinked. "Jeeze! That could be have been dangerous!" He looked over as Bardock sat up and Raditz did as well, looking around.

"What happened?" He asked, shaking his head.

Bardock held his head and looked down at Goten. "Goten?"

Goten just beamed and pointed over at Goku. "Grandpa, Uncle Raditz, meet my dad!"

Goku held up his hand and waved. "Hi there!"

Both Saiyans' jaws dropped. "Kakarot?"

* * *

><p>Trunks pulled as hard as he could on the chains on his right arm. After taking a beating from the Ginyu Force, and after being caught in an explosion of a planet disappearing, it was nothing short of a miracle he was still alive. He sighed and after awhile he gave up and let his head hang. His cheeks burned with angry indignation. He felt humiliated, angry and part of him felt betrayed. He wasn't sure why. He didn't owe Vegeta anything. So why did the thought of the man dying make him mad, and hurt? He frowned and tried to relieve some of the tension in his arms, standing up a little straighter, but nothing happened. He leaned his head back into the wall and closed his eyes. Vegeta's Ki was a flicker above him, but it was still there. He wasn't dead yet.<p>

It wasn't fair. Trunks had finally been able to find out who his father was, and now he was going to die. His mother would never see him again, he would never see him again, and their issues would never get resolved. It had ended on a poor note that would without a doubt just linger in the air for the rest of Trunks' life. He sighed and tested his left arm, which was still hard to move. Still Vegeta's bracing it and tending to it, made it feel a hell of a lot better. He had no doubt it would heal eventually, especially if Freeza would keep his word and heal him.

Trunks frowned turning his head back to where his father had stood a few moments ago. Why had he told Trunks to swallow his pride and serve Freeza? He didn't want to have to die next to a pathetic half-breed with purple hair and no tail? Or had he been trying to save Trunks' life? Either way, it wasn't a promise Trunks intended to keep. However he would stay quiet until he had a chance to either kill Freeza or escape. Whichever came first.

He was sure as hell not going to be Freeza's loyal lap dog. Freeza was going to pay for what he had done, and Trunks was going to be sure to be the one to do it. He looked over at the guards standing in front of his cell and leaned forwards. "… What's going to happen at this trial?" He asked quietly.

One guard turned back to him and gave him a toothy grin. He reminded Trunks of an alligator. "Freeza's going to torture Vegeta to death."

Trunks' head snapped up. "Torture him?"

"Gonna make it last as long as possible." He said, picking at his teeth.

"Hours if he can." Another said, snickering. "It's a shame we can't be there to see it." He looked back at Trunks. "But don't worry, I'm sure Freeza will have some tapes for you to watch later."

Trunks' blood felt like it was boiling. He pulled on his restraints and grimaced, as they pulled taught. The guards all laughed and turned away from him again. Part of him felt like Vegeta deserved everything he was going to get, but the rest of him told him no. No he didn't. He sighed and shook his head and reached out to feel for Vegeta's Ki again. But instead he caught the Ki of something else. Something strong and something familiar. And there was more than one of them.

Trunks' head snapped up and he grinned from ear to ear. "Goku!"

The guards all turned around, to look at him. "What the hell?"

"Kid's lost it."

Trunks smirked and tried to raise his Ki as high as it would go. A giant flag for the group of familiar Ki's to follow. The collar sparked and hissed in protest and burned at the skin of his neck. But his Ki was hotter. He kept raising it as high as he could, a blue aura bursting up around him, rattling the chain and blowing his hair about. The collar was sending pain through every pore of his body, and he could hardly stand it. Still he could feel the Ki's growing stronger. They were coming his way. He smiled and finally let his Ki drop. He let his head hang, breathing heavily. Still, if they could find him easier now, it had all been worth it.

* * *

><p>"So you're really my dad?"<p>

Bardock stared at the man in front of him, his mouth slightly agape. Raditz stood next to him, with his arms folded and he looked him up and down. The resemblance was uncanny, and there could be absolutely no denying this boy was his son. "I can't believe it…" He murmured.

"So you were alive…" Raditz spoke up, looking away.

"I thought he was you, the first time I saw him," Goten looked up at his father, and smiled. The man rubbed the back of his head, and tilted it a bit.

"Gee, you think so?" He said folding his arms. "Does he really look a lot like me?" He looked down at Goten who was still smiling.

Bardock walked forwards. "You're really Kakarot?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. That's what Vegeta called me." He said, folding his arms. "My name is Goku now, though. It's nice to meet you! I never thought I'd meet my Saiyan family." He put a hand on Goten's head. "Thanks for looking after my boy. We were all really worried about him."

The other boy walked over, extending a hand. "I'm Son Gohan. Your other grandson." He beamed. "It's great to meet you."

Bardock was shocked but shook his hand anyways. "Uh… yeah."

Goku, as he called himself looked over at Raditz. "It's nice to meet you too! You're my brother, huh? Wow, that's incredible."

"We've met before." Raditz said, looking away. "When we were young."

"Really? I don't remember that."

"Like you also didn't remember your mission to wipe out all life on earth?"

Goku laughed and folded his arms. "Oh yeah, Vegeta mentioned that too." He tapped his fist on his up turned palm. "Hey! That reminds me! I felt Vegeta's Ki earlier, is he here too?"

Goten gasped and grabbed his father's arm. "Dad! Trunks got caught by that Freezer guy!"

"Freeza." Bardock instantly corrected. He was still rather shocked by all this. His long lost son had appeared out of nowhere, and pounded the Ginyu force to a pulp like it was nothing. "How… How did the three of you get here?"

"Hm?" Goku tilted his head a little then laughed. "Oh, that! It's a technique I picked up. It's call instantaneous movement. I just have to find someone's Ki and I can move to where they are. I found Goten's Ki and moved here quick as I could."

"That reminds me." Raditz looked over, sideways. "Why are you traveling with a Namekian?"

"A what?"

"Namekian."

"I don't play any instruments."

"Namekian!" Raditz yelled pointing over at Piccolo. "That man there!"

"Oh Piccolo?" Goku turned and looked over at the green skinned man who was standing a few feet away from them. "Piccolo started out as a pretty bad guy, but he's helped us out a lot. He took care of Gohan for me when I died."

Gohan laughed a little bit, looking over at Piccolo who didn't acknowledge it.

"When you… died?"

"Yeah, but-"

Three members of the family and Piccolo all got quiet very quickly and looked over towards where Freeza's base was. The light on the other two's scouter lit up and they looked over as well. Goten turned around, gripping his fists tightly.

"Trunks… That's Trunks' Ki! Dad, we have to go help him!"

"His Ki is pretty weak." Goku had suddenly adopted a very serious demeanor. "Alright, let's go. We can get to know each other once we've saved him."

"And his dad. And that prince guy."

"Eh? What? Vegeta needs saving? Whoo, what a surprise!" The serious demeanor melted. "Alright, we'll go save Vegeta too. Come on, pops and my big brother!"

"Don't call me that." It was all Bardock could think to say as they all took off into the air.

* * *

><p>It was surprising to Goten just how empty the base was. Well, not really empty, there were a few guards straggling around the hall ways, but they rather quickly proved to be no match for the team of Saiyans plus Piccolo moving steadily down the hall. Most of the Ki was concentrated in the center of the building, and Goten could feel Trunks a few stories below him. He looked down at his feet and turned to his family, and pointed down. "Trunks is down there." He said, folding his arms. "And the Prince is in the place with all those other people."<p>

Raditz looked over at Bardock who folded his arms. "Alright, we'll split up. We should do this as stealthily as possible."

Goku nodded and handed Goten a Senzu bean. "Goten, you go free Trunks. We'll go infiltrate that room of people, and take down some of its defenses. Meet us there, okay?"

"Wait." Bardock took a step forwards. "You're sending Goten on his own?"

"Oh come on, Grandpa!" Goten said, smiling. "You know I can handle myself just fine!" He held up his arm, flexing. It didn't take a genius to figure out Bardock didn't like it, but his grandfather nodded anyways. "Alright, you meet us up there, then. Try not to cause a scene. We'll do this strategically."

Goten nodded and turned around, bolting towards Trunks' Ki. The place was like a maze, and he frowned, closing his eyes and concentrating on his best friend's Ki. It was far beneath him, and he didn't see any stairs in sight. He skidded to a halt and looked down, putting a hand on his hip. "Well… It's not a scene if I'm quiet about it." He held his hand parallel to the floor and summoned his Ki to his fingers. A jet of Ki ripped through the floor cleanly evaporating anything in its path. He smiled at the holes that he had formed through the floors and jumped down, falling towards the level Trunks was on. He noticed a few guards on the floors staring at him slack jawed and he waved as he fell. They hadn't exactly been discrete about their presence to begin with, and Goten was counting on no one wanting to disturb whatever was happening in that room with those terrifying power levels.

He finally landed on the scorched floor and stood up straight looking around. He was in a long dark hallway with a door at the end. He nodded at it, sensing Trunks just past it. He walked towards it, breaking into a sprint as he did and pushed the door open. He was greeted with at least twelve guards, who all stood there, absolutely shocked. It was always nice to leave an impression like that. "Hi there! I'm looking for my best friend."

The guards lunged at him. Sloppily. Goten sidestepped them, and made short work of methodically taking them down. He saw the bars on the far side of the room and walked over, prying them apart with his super human strength. He looked in, and smiled at his best friend. Trunks was staring at him, mouth open, and his arms shackled to either side of him.

"Wow, Trunks. That looks really uncomfortable."

Goten saw tears form in Trunks eyes as he smirked. "Just get me down, you idiot."

Goten walked over to his best friend and reached over looping a hand under the collar and summoning his Ki to his hands and slicing through it like it was nothing. He then gave each of the restraints a quick zap, and Trunks tumbled forwards. Goten caught him quickly and pushed him back up, before fishing around in his pocket and producing the Senzu bean. "Here, you look like you need this."

Trunks took the bean and popped it in his mouth hastily. He sighed and Goten winced at the sound of Trunks' bones popping back into place and then grinned. Trunks looked down at Goten and nodded. "Thanks, Goten. I was beginning to think I'd have to bust myself out of here."

"Are you kidding?" Goten punched his shoulder. "We made a promise, didn't we?"

Trunks held up his hand and the two knocked the back of their fists together. Trunks nodded and smiled. "To never abandon each other."

"No matter what."

Trunks pulled the bandages and braces off his arms, and the remains of the shredded guard uniform. He ripped it down the middle and used it to tie around his pants as a makeshift belt. He looked over at Goten and smiled.

"Come on. There's someone I want to save."

* * *

><p>"And do you have anything to say for yourself?"<p>

Freeza smiled down, leaning his chin into his hand. It had been a long time since he'd had so much fun. The once proud monkey prince was staring at him, not an ounce of fight left in him. Freeza loved seeing him oh so broken. Taking everything from him hadn't been as fun as he would have liked though, as he hadn't had the chance to wipe out ALL the Saiyans before turning his attention to the prince. Still, wiping out the planet would have to do, and he would definitely leave the prince knowing that the rest of his race was next. Vegeta hadn't had much to say during the entire trial, but Freeza supposed that was natural. Even the most feral of beasts knew when to surrender to death with some sort of dignity. Not that Freeza was going to allow him any dignity.

"No." Vegeta looked up again. "Now get on with it. I haven't got all day."

Freeza smiled and stood up. "As you wish, my prince. I have no choice but to sentence you to death. As… sad as that might be."

A delighted roar came up from the crowd, as Freeza leapt up and landed in front of the bound prince. He grabbed a fist full of Vegeta's hair, and pulled him up.

"You should be honored, Vegeta. It's not often that I serve as judge, jury AND executioner."

"Somehow, I don't seem to appreciate it."

"Well you should." Freeza held two fingers up, smirking. "After all, the man who wiped out the entire Saiyan race on your planet is going to give you the same honor." His fingers began to glow and he raised it to Vegeta's eye. "I have to say, I'm going to enjoy this."

"Did you hear that, Goten?"

Freeza looked up at the loud voice that suddenly spoke up over the awed hush of the room. He looked around, confused at where it had come from.

"I sure did, Trunks."

Trunks. That boy? What the hell?

"He said he wiped out the Saiyan Race."

Suddenly two figures dropped down in front of him, a good few feet behind Vegeta. One was the figure of the boy he had left in the dungeons, and the other a boy he had never seen before. To his amazement the former had no signs of any sort of injury whatsoever. Freeza was so amazed he dropped Vegeta and stood up straight, his jaw slightly slack.

"Someone should tell him." The mysterious boy said nudging the purple haired slave.

Freeza was stupefied. "Tell me?" They were the only words he could think to ask. The boys both grinned and pointed at him simultaneously, speaking up in unison.

"That you missed two!"


	24. Dramatic Turn and Crash and Burn

**This chapter took me FOREVER to write, because I am the suck at writing fight scenes. So I rewrote this thing like eight times. I hope you enjoy it anyways.**

* * *

><p>So much for being subtle. Still, when the two boys got together it would take a force like none other to contain them. Especially when they had no restrictions, no restraints, and no regrets. Also when a challenge like a room full of high power levels and Freeza presented itself? How could they possibly resist a dramatic entrance? And dramatic it was. The entire room was left speechless, which was the best way to leave an audience. Freeza had dropped Vegeta to the ground who was now staring up at them, his neck arched back to stare at them. He clearly thought the two were idiots. As did most of the people in the room, but Trunks and Goten could hardly care. They were both way too excited.<p>

Freeza stared at them for a few minutes before tilting his head back and laughing. "The two of you, Saiyans?" He wiped his eyes. "Impossible." He said looking down at Vegeta and placing a foot on the fallen prince's chest. "You're both slaves, and you want to convince me that you're Saiyans?"

"He's right you know, Goten."

Goten nodded and put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, Trunks, he's absolutely right."

Freeza's face fell, and they could tell this put him off. Trunks just turned to Goten, taking a few steps away. "After all, we're both only half Saiyan."

"Half Saiyan?" Freeza spoke up, tilting his head.

"That's true, Trunks. But together we add up to be one whole Saiyan."

The two turned to face Freeza holding their arms out away from one another; they took three steps towards each other, moving their arms over their heads to their other side. "Fu…"

Freeza gawked at the awkward pose the boys were striking, and Vegeta was turning bright red.

Both boys moved their arms away from one another, moving their legs up as they did. "Sion!" And then they tilted over, pushing their pointer fingers together. "Ha!"

A blinding light filled the stadium, and Freeza took a step back, off of Vegeta who turned a bit to get a better look. The light finally died down, and a boy with black and purple hair, wearing a small jacket, and white pants was left where the two had been standing before. The boy put his hands on his hips and laughed with two voices, as if two were speaking from one mouth.

"I am Gotenks!" He said, holding up his arms, flexing, and then lowered them to point at Freeza. "And you are going to be defeated by me here!"

* * *

><p>Bardock adjusted his scouter, and slipped through the crowd surprisingly easily. Raditz and Gohan had split off elsewhere into the crowd, but Kakarot was right behind him. He made he way up to the edge of the balcony he was standing on, and looked down. Kakarot came up behind him and leaned over.<p>

"Its amazing, we blend right in." He whispered.

"Are you kidding?" Bardock looked over. "We stand out like a sore thumb. Everyone is too busy enjoying the death sport to notice."

"Either way, we're super lucky."

The two looked down at the floor and clenched his teeth at the sight of his prince lying broken and beaten on the floor. The symbol of Saiyan pride, humiliated for the amusement of these lowlifes. He gripped his fists tightly and lowered his head as Kakarot leaned in next to him.

"Vegeta…" He shook his head and his eyes traveled. "Oh! Hey! That must be Freezer!"

Bardock looked over at his long lost son who was pointing down at the intergalactic tyrant. He narrowed his eyes. "Freeza."

"What?"

"Freeza, his name is Freeza."

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

Bardock turned away, his thoughts instantly turning to Goten. He shook his head. "Never mind, it all makes sense."

"Okay, so as soon as the boys meet with us again, we'll go down there and save Vegeta."

"Just like that?"

"Sure." Kakarot nodded. "If we all rush him, it won't be a problem."

"What about these thousands of spectators?"

"Come on, we're way stronger than any of these guys!"

"Fine, just keep your voice down." Bardock looked back down and tapped the balcony. "Where are they…?"

"Oh they'll be here pretty soon."

"What makes you say…"

"Did you hear that Goten?"

"I sure did, Trunks."

Bardock turned at the loud voices and his eyes widened as his grandson and the prince's son both dropped down into plain view. What were they both stupid? What kind of bone headed move was that? The two went on, announcing they were half Saiyan, and Bardock slapped a hand over his eyes. "Don't make a scene, I said." He shook his head. "That is what I said, isn't it? I remember saying that."

"Well, it's okay isn't it?" Kakarot said, putting his hands on his hips.

"What?"

"It's just who those two are." He said, smirking. "Besides, they're plenty strong. Here, look."

Bardock turned as he heard both boys shout and suddenly they were both gone. He gasped and leaned forwards as a new boy took his place. A boy introducing himself as Gotenks. What the hell had happened, and why was Bardock the last person in the loop? Kakarot was just standing there grinning. "Gotenks, man it's been a long time since I've seen him."

"Who is that?"

"He's probably the strongest person here right now. Trunks and Goten fused. Both their power levels piled on top of one another."

"Fusion…" Bardock turned and looked down at the boy standing there cockily. He shook his head. "This is ridiculous."

"Come on, let's go save Vegeta while Freezer is distracted."

"Freeza, and what? We can't just go down there? Freeza will kill us." Before he was finished with the sentence he turned his head in time to see Freeza smash into the balcony and looked at Gotenks who had hardly moved a muscle. His jaw dropped as he glanced back at Freeza who was prying himself out of the rubble. "… All right. Let's go save the prince."

* * *

><p>Gotenks hopped from one foot to another, laughing. "What's the matter? Is that all?" He grinned, and threw his head back, laughing more.<p>

Freeza picked himself up as the newly fused boys landed between him and Vegeta. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and Gotenks just tilted his head, waiting for him to make a move. Freeza just raised his hands and snapped his fingers.

"Kill him!"

Gotenks turned his head a little bit as spectators began to flood out of the stands. "Huh? Really? Trust me you guys, you don't want any of this." Gotenks' words did not reach the angry mob of peons and soldiers, and they continued to rush him. He sighed and put his hands on his hips. "Well, okay, if you're sure." He wound his arms up, rotating his shoulders. "Well we're in the courtroom! So time for some good old fashioned justice!" He turned around catching a soldier and hauling him over his shoulder into the others who were charging at him and he jumped up in the air, and shook his fingers. "Alright! The jury has deliberated and come to a verdict." He raised both his hands over his head, summoning a bout of Ki to his fingers. It achieved a glow of radioactive proportions, and smirked. "And the verdict is…" He slammed his hands down, his Ki blasting into the soldiers on the floor, wiping them out instantly. He dropped back to his feet, and smirked at Freeza who stood there scowling at them. "Guilty."

He pointed at Freeza, smirking. "We sentence you to life without parole."

You could practically hear the fuses blowing in Freeza's brain, and they half expected steam to come out of his ears, the same way it had with Boo. The overlord stepped forwards, shedding his scouter and other accessories, rotating his wrist. "Very well, pest. I'll deal with you myself."

"Lord Freeza, allow me to-" Zarbon rushed forward with Dodoria, and Freeza pushed them both back.

"Enough! This brat is mine." He said walking up. "I'll kill him, and then I'll kill Vegeta!" He raised a single finger, and pointed it directly at Gotenks who just smirked putting his hands back on his hips. "You insolent little brat… Prepare to die!" He fired a single stream of Ki that could have collapsed a city, from his finger directly at the boy. Gotenks simply raised a hand, and swatted it away, like it was a rubber ball, and not a line of instant death.

"That won't be enough to stop me."

Freeza's eyes widened and he ground his teeth angrily, firing more from his finger. The blasts seemed to connect as the ground around Gotenks exploded into dust, and rose up around him. Freeza smirked, folding his arms. "Arrogant little brat, didn't know who he…"

"Was dealing with?" Gotenks said, speaking up from behind Freeza. He reached over and tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm back here, Freezer." He then raised his leg and threw a violent kick to the back of Freeza's head, knocking him forwards onto his face. Gotenks raised both his arms above his head. "Goal!"

Freeza slowly pulled himself up, standing up, shakily. He turned to Gotenks, wiping the blood from his chin. "You… You little…" He raised his hand, floating off the ground. "Very well! I will take you seriously." He pulled his arms in, and his body began to glow and shift. His body grew and bulged, and his horns and tails elongated. He raised his head at the end, and he could have been a totally different person. Gotenks smirked and pointed up to him.

"Am I supposed to be scared? You're just a lot uglier now."

It was Freeza's turn to smirk. "Mock all you want, boy, but this time you're going to die. This is only a mere fraction of my power, while you seem to have reached your limits, I can still get much, much stronger!"

"You mean you can transform again?"

"Yes."

"Then do it." Gotenks frowned. "You're still way too weak to take me on, and I was hoping for a challenge."

"Why… You ignorant-"

"Little brat, we get it." Gotenks rolled his eyes. "Now are you gonna give me a fight before I rip you apart, or are you just gonna stand there talking?"

"Very well, you fool!" Freeza said, straightening up. "You ought to be honored. It's been a long time since anyone forced me into this form. However, no one yet has mocked me and lived to tell about it. Therefore, you must die, and if I must go all out on you then… well more pain for you means more fun for me!" He curled in on himself, and his body began to change again, his skull elongated, and then shrank back down, his body began to glow and change more rapidly, his tail growing longer and his skin becoming smoother and streamlined. Everyone in the room, who was still alive, was cowering in awe, and total fear. Gotenks however remained unfazed.

"So what, you're just-"

Gotenks never got a chance to finish his sentence because as soon as he started Freeza had vanished, reappeared in front of him and gave him a crippling kick to the chest. Gotenks flew across the room, landing in the far wall and sliding down the now broken and cracked marble. He winced and grabbed his chest as Freeza raised a finger again.

"Poor little monkey." He said, walking forwards. "But you did ask me to go all out." He brought his foot down on top of Gotenks chest and aimed his finger down, and it began to glow. "Well I'll put you out of your misery now."

Gotenks however had other thoughts on the subject. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly through his mouth. His breath suddenly took on form as it rose from his mouth, and before Freeza could tell what was happening, the thing was latched onto his face. Freeza lurched backwards, clutching at his face, as suddenly the strange thing latched onto his face exploded. Freeza howled in pain, holding his face as streams of smoke rose up off him.

"Like that?" Gotenks said, whirling his arms about. "Those are my kamikaze ghosts!" He pointed forwards, and smirked. "That's what you get, for counting me out too early." He jabbed a finger at himself. "I'm just getting warmed up."

* * *

><p>It was easy for the four remaining members of the family to sneak down off the balcony in all the confusion. Gotenks and Freeza were still locked in combat, and the place was quickly becoming a pile of rubble. Goku, Gohan, Raditz and Bardock all leapt down to the floor, running through the misfired Ki blasts from both warring parties. Goku slid through the rubble and knelt down next to the fallen figure who lay surprisingly untouched by the battle that was ensuing a few feet away. He brushed some of the dust of Vegeta's clothes and sat back, pulling Vegeta up a little.<p>

"Vegeta. Vegeta, wake up!"

The prince of all Saiyans opened his eyes slowly, glaring through the dust and debris that hung on his eyelashes. "Kakarot?"

"Yup. That's me."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving you." He smirked and turned to Gohan. "Do we have any senzu left?"

Gohan nodded. "I'll check. I think Piccolo has them." He jumped up and ran off, into the fray again, to locate the Namekian. Goku watched him run and was about to turn back to assure Vegeta was okay, when Vegeta reached up with his bound hands and grabbed the front of Goku's Gi.

"Kakarot… That boy, Trunks… He's… my…?"

Goku looked down at Vegeta and nodded his head slowly. "He's your son. Bulma found out she was pregnant three or four months after you left."

"My son..." Vegeta turned his head a little bit to look at the fight. "He turned out alright anyways."

"Hm?"

"He's smart. And strong. He wasn't totally ruined… growing up on that planet."

Goku smiled and looked up. "Yeah, he's a great kid."

"You taught him?"

"Me and Piccolo."

"That explains it then." Vegeta closed his eyes. "I guess… I can be alright with that."

"Hey, don't say that! You're not going to die!"

"I'd rather die than have my life saved by you, Kakarot."

"You can beat me up for it later then."

"Worthless third class."

Goku looked over at their sons who were continuing to fight Freeza. His smile creased into a serious frown as he notice something critically wrong with the picture he was staring at. Gotenks wasn't winning. He turned and looked over at his father, who was standing also watching the fight. "How long have they been fighting?"

"Almost forty-five minutes."

Well that wasn't good.

* * *

><p>Gotenks' clothes were shredded and he was bloodied and bruised and quite battered. He looked down at his hands and cursed, looking up at Freeza who was also looking quite worse for wear. They had managed to cut half of Freeza's tail off, as well as his right arm, and they had gotten more than a few good hits in, however it all seemed to be falling short of the mark. He curled his fists and looked back up at Freeza who was glaring back down at him. He lunged into battle again, and Freeza pushed himself up and over the attack, managing to wrap his tail around Gotenks' neck.<p>

Gotenks gasped and grabbed at the tail, as it crushed the air out of his wind pipe. He groped for air, and could only manage to make pathetic and strangled noises. Freeza just laughed.

"What's wrong? I thought you were going to tear me to pieces."

"Working on it…" Gotenks choked out, clawing at the tail wrapped firmly around his neck. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt quite defeated. But both fortunately and unfortunately just as his vision was starting to go dark, his body began to glow and separated into two once more. This was fortunate because neither of them were being strangled any longer, but on their own they didn't stand much of a chance.

Trunks gasped as air filled his lungs, and Goten did the same, holding his neck, coughing roughly. They both looked up at one another and Trunks felt some sweat run down his forehead. Goten was thinking the exact same thing, as they both turned to look over at Freeza who was grinning.

"Oh look! Now you're back to being two again. How lucky for me. That's double the amount of pain I get to cause."

Before either boy could think up any witty response, a swift kick reinforced with enough Ki to destroy a small plant landed on both their chests, sending them crashing to the ground. Trunks hauled himself up out of the rubble, coughing and wiping the blood off his face with the back of his hand.

"Are you okay, Goten?"

"Somehow…" Goten pulled himself up, rolling out of the Goten-shaped crater he had left behind. "Man, I thought for sure if the two of us were Gotenks we'd beat him for sure."

"We wasted too much time."

"That was your fault."

"Nah uh! That was totally you!"

Goten stood up, and Trunks stood up after him, both of them forgetting the feud as Freeza started laughing again. "You are making this so easy on me! Come, I think you both owe me an arm and a leg."

"This guy just pisses me off."

"Me too." Trunks spat out a mouthful of blood, and braced himself upwards. They would have to take this guy out. No matter what. He looked over at Goten and was about to leap back into battle, when a hand grabbed his pant leg. He looked down and saw his father had managed to pull himself over to where Trunks was. Goku ran up behind him.

"Vegeta, it's not safe for you to…"

"Trunks."

Trunks turned around and dropped to his knees as Goten ran over, wondering what was happening. Trunks put his hands on either side of Vegeta's shoulders and frowned. "Go back with Goku. We can talk later."

"No, not later. This needs to happen now."

"I can't now! Freeza is…"

Vegeta reached up and touched one of his bloodied wounds smearing his blood on his fingers. He reached up to Trunks' forehead and placed his two bloodied fingers down. Vegeta let his head hang a moment while Trunks just stared at him, confusion written plainly on his face. Vegeta moved his fingers down leaving a trail of blood down Trunks' forehead before removing his hand and grabbing Trunks' shoulders. He looked up, with some effort. "You are blood of my blood…" Vegeta said, quietly. "And I name you my heir. You… are the prince of all Saiyans."

Trunks leaned back a little bit. "But… you're…"

Vegeta pulled Trunks down closer to him and tightened his grip. "Defeat Freeza… Kill him. He has… to pay the price, for…" A sly smile crept over Vegeta's face. "Messing with the royal blood line of the Saiyans."

With those words Vegeta dropped down, releasing Trunks. Goku caught him and Trunks stood up, staggering backwards a bit. Goku looked up at him a moment, and nodded. "He's only unconscious. Don't worry, I'll heal him and take him somewhere safe. Goten… Trunks, the two of you need to get angry. You need to let loose with everything you have. The two of you CAN defeat Freeza. I know you can."

Goten and Trunks looked at one another and then back to Goku, who smirked at them. "Just-"

The ground in front of them exploded with absolutely no warning. Trunks and Goten both held up their arms to defend themselves, and were pushed back by the blast that rocketed through the room. They both looked up at Freeza who was standing there, aiming a finger at them lazily.

"I don't really like being ignored."

Both boys were stunned. They looked back into the dust that was still stirring in the background. Trunks choked on the words. "Father…?"

"Dad?" Goten whispered, reaching out with his Ki, trying to find any traces of his father. "Grandpa? Uncle?... Anyone?"

"Oh, how sad. Six annoying monkeys got in over their head. Made me angry and now they're dead." Freeza smiled. "Only two monkeys left, in over their head."

Both boys turned back up to Freeza and for a while they could only stare at him. Then, Trunks and Goten's faces both simultaneously twisted into an angry snarl. Their anger and hatred for the alien in front of them ripped through them, and echoed off one another. One's wrath only served to make the other's stronger. They both looked up at Freeza, their eyes white and clouded with their electrified Ki that whipped up around them. Their hair stood on end from the wind their strength was generating, and slowly from the roots began to take a blond tint to it.

"We will… Never forgive you, Freeza!"

The golden aura burst forth around them, whipping around them, changing them and fueling their Ki like mad. Their hair stood up straight, and the color changed entirely to gold. Their eyes cleared revealed a bright teal green.


	25. Final Fight and Final Flight

They were both unstoppable. Their movements played off each other perfectly, their Ki fluctuating and balancing out, matching perfectly with the other's and boosting it beyond imagination. Neither of them spoke a word as they leapt forwards into battle. The world around them melted away, and heavy veils of adrenaline and power wrapped over them, clouding them to anything else. Nothing stood in their way. They crashed through gates, and stone and flesh.

They were unstoppable.

Freeza stood on a pile of rubble, holding his shoulder, half his tail flicking back and forth as both boys landed on either side of him, their eyes filled with unbridled angry killing intent. The tyrant stood up straight and looked back at both of them. "What the hell happened to you…?" He hissed. "Your hair… your eyes… Do you think that will make a difference?"

Freeza raised his good arm over his head and summoned up a ball of Ki. "I'll crush you both!"

Trunks leapt forwards, punching Freeza in the jaw, the force pushing the alien overlord backwards, arching his back. Goten slammed forwards, driving his elbow deep into Freeza's spine, which propelled him forwards, smashing him into the ground. They both turned to face him, as silent as the grave. Freeza pushed himself up with some difficulty, and turned to face them, shakily.

"This cannot… be happening!"

Both boys vanished from view before reappearing before Freeza, each throwing a set of expertly aimed and powerful punches. It was all Freeza could do to block each one as he was knocked backwards. He barely managed to block any, and over half of them connected with a vital point. Trunks and Goten pulled their fists back, simultaneously and both of their arms connected solidly with Freeza's face.

Freeza went flying backwards, smashing into a wall that miraculously was still standing. He cursed and pushed himself back up. He stood there, breathing heavily, blood pouring from his wounds onto the floor.

"This… cannot be…" He hissed, grabbing his ribs. "I will not be defeated… by a pair of low life half breeds!" He screamed, clenching his fists. "What are you! Tell me!"

"We're Super Saiyans!" They both spoke up at the same time, turning a little bit inwards.

"Super Saiyans…?" Freeza spoke, chuckling a little bit. "You think… that somehow changing your hair color, makes you a Super Saiyan? Let me fill you in on a little secret, half breeds." Freeza was laughing between words. He shook his head and looked up. "There's no such thing as a super Saiyan!" He hissed. "It's all made up! A legend thought up by a few monkeys well before your time!"

Freeza took a step forwards, and Trunks and Goten kept their eyes on him the whole time, staring intently as he began to raise a finger heavenwards.

"That form you've taken… Is nothing more than show." He said laughing a bit more as a ball of Ki slowly began to form over his head, steadily growing to monstrous proportions. "I, however, am no fake." Freeza smirked. "This power you see before you, is truth!"

"You're wrong, Freeza."

Everything stopped. The Ki above Freeza's head wavered a bit. "What?"

"Our power…" Trunks curled his fists. "Is no lie."

"Maybe the Super Saiyan is a legend." Goten took a step forwards with his best friend, as the two of them pulled both their hands back. "But if it is, then we _are _that legend."

"And you are _not_ truth." Trunks' eyes narrowed.

Both boys held their hands close together and Ki started to build up behind them. "Because we are!" They both shouted in unison.

"You dammed fools!" Freeza floated up above them, the Ki steadily growing. "Vanish!" He threw it downwards, towards the two who stood there, standing strong and unmoving.

"Ka…" They both began, their Ki flaring up around them. "Me… Ha… Me…" Both boys moved their hands up towards the blast that was rocketing towards them.

"HA!"

Ki met Ki and exploded in a brilliant flash.

* * *

><p>Pure, raw, and untapped power surrounded them. It was eating at their skin, dissolving them, making the two of them fade away. Trunks barely managed to turn his head. The force bore down on him with enough strength to crush him for good. Goten turned his head with the same difficulty and both boys just stared at one another for a few moments. They both held eye contact, neither speaking, and neither moving. Finally Goten moved, pulling his arm up and reaching towards Trunks, extending his hand. Trunks stared at him a while longer before moving his hand and reaching out to grab Goten's. The two held onto one another, as more power washed over them, threatening to smash them into oblivion once and for all. Still, they weren't going to go alone. The two had been inseparable since birth, and not even this was going to tear them apart. They were best friends, till the end. And most likely after that as well. Neither went anywhere, without the other following closely behind. Both turned away from each other, still holding on, and smiled.<p>

"Well done, you two."

* * *

><p>The last thing Goten had been expecting to do was wake up, but wake up he did. His entire body was sore, and every inch of him was aching. Though Goten supposed that was a good thing. If there was one lesson he had learned it was that pain meant you were still alive. He stirred a bit and flexed his fingers. Trunks' hand was gone. Had they gotten separated? Goten took a deep breath and tried to assess his surroundings. He opened his eyes and squinted up. His vision was hazy at best, and clouds of darkness swirled about the corners of his eyes. The place was dark, and Goten quickly realized he was neither in Freeza's base nor outside. The ground he was lying on was too comfortable for that. In fact it wasn't the ground at all. It was a bed. He shifted a bit and blinked a few times trying to clear his vision up. As soon as he did he heard a voice from his left.<p>

"Hey, kid. Are you awake in there?"

Goten's voice was hoarse and tired but he managed to speak up anyways. "Grandpa?"

Bardock's familiar hand was on his shoulder. "How do you feel, runt?"

"Okay, I guess." Goten whispered as his vision cleared up. He blinked and looked up at his grandfather who was sitting next to him. A smile appeared over his face and he instantly sat up, wrapping his arms around Bardock's neck. "Grandpa!" He gasped, relieved at the physical contact. "You're not dead!"

"Of course I'm not, now get off."

Goten sat back, beaming at him. "Me and Trunks thought you guys were all dead… we couldn't sense your Ki."

"Well you can thank your father for that. He somehow managed to get us all out of there, and by the time we came back, you had already finished it."

Goten smiled and folded his arms. He should have known his father would get them all out of there safely. He then frowned and let his arms fall. "Where's Trunks?"

"He woke up a few days ago."

"A few days? How long have I been asleep!"

"At least five days."

Goten grinned. "Awesome." He slid his feet over the bed and stretched his arms. "And Trunks is okay? Everyone else is too?"

"Yeah. Well… Vegeta is in bad shape."

"Vegeta? Trunks' dad?"

"Yeah." Bardock stood up, and helped Goten do the same. "He'll be okay, but apparently those Senzu aren't easy to come by. We didn't have enough, and Vegeta insisted we give the last to you two"

"He did?" Goten smiled a little bit. "That was nice of him."

Bardock closed his eyes and nodded. "Goku gave him half a senzu bean, and it helped a bit, but it didn't have the full effects it normally would. Still he should be better in a few weeks."

Goten nodded. "Where are we, by the way?"

"Back on that ship. Headed for that backwater planet of yours."

"Earth?" Goten shot up, jumping to his feet, and clenching his fists. "We're going back to Earth?"

"Yes, now calm down."

"Yahoo!" Goten leapt up into the air. "We're going back to Earth! Yay! Whoo hoo!"

Bardock smirked and grabbed Goten's shoulders. "Alright, calm down, kid."

"I'm going home!" Goten wrapped his arms around his grandfather's middle. "Finally! Hurray!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you're excited. Now cool it. Come on, your dad's been worried about you. Your brother's been in here every two hours too." He put a hand on the back of Goten's back and steered him towards the door.

"How have you guys been getting along?" Goten looked up at Bardock.

"I'm not going to lie, Goten. It's strange having a family all of the sudden. In fact it's downright insane And you were right when you said Kakarot was nothing like us Saiyans."

"I told you."

Bardock lead him up to the deck, and opened the door. Instantly all heads turned towards him and he ran inside, smiling. "I'm back!"

"Goten!" Gohan was the first to speak up. He ran over, embracing his brother. "We were worried about you."

"Well, I'm just fine. A little sore from sitting in one place so long, but I'm okay."

Goku walked over, putting a hand on Goten's head. "It's good to see you, Goten. I'm so proud of you." He knelt down, taking Goten's shoulders. "You ascended. I knew you could do it."

Goten nodded. "I thought you guys were gone…"

Goku embraced his youngest son. "Don't worry, Goten. Daddy isn't going anywhere again."

Goten flushed and patted his father's back. "Dad, cut it out, that's embarrassing." He pulled away from his father who laughed and ruffled his hair. Goten smiled, and looked up. "So where's Trunks?"

"He's talking with Vegeta." Yamucha spoke up.

"I think we ought to keep our distance." Goku said, putting a hand on Goten's shoulder. "They have a lot to talk about. You'll see him later."

Goten nodded. "Okay." He understood that.

* * *

><p>Trunks sat beside the cot in the poorly illuminated room, his hands folded over his knees, and his brow furrowed in thought. It wasn't the first time he had come into his father's room, but it was the first time he had sat down to stay. He thought he was finally ready to hear what Vegeta had to say. The question was if Vegeta was ready to say it.<p>

Vegeta lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, not moving and not saying a word. A tray of food sat on the beside table, untouched and still steaming with heat. The two simply sat in the dark silence of the room.

"Are you going to talk to me?" Trunks spoke up quietly.

Vegeta turned his head away, not looking his son in the eye. "There's nothing to talk about."

Trunks sighed and folded his hands over his mouth. "There's plenty to talk about. You just don't want to talk about it."

"Then why are you bothering me?"

"Because I want to talk about it."

Vegeta heaved a sigh, and shook his head. "Get used to disappointment, kid."

Trunks looked over at his father, and sighed. He rested his hands over his knees again, and let his eyes drop the floor. He wasn't sure how he was going to get his answers from his father. "I'm not leaving till you talk to me." He said, stubbornly.

Vegeta was silent and Trunks frowned. He leaned forwards. "Why did you leave?" He barely whispered.

"I had a Kingdom to run. I was a prince before I was your father."

"You're lying."

Vegeta looked over at his son and cracked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Why'd you really leave?" Trunks looked up. "I don't believe that you left cause you had a duty to. There's another reason. A reason mom wouldn't talk about. So tell me what it was."

Vegeta sighed and looked back up at the ceiling. "Keep your nose in your own business boy."

"This _is_ my business." Trunks insisted. "It's my life we're talking about. My mother."

"Then ask her."

"She's not here."

Vegeta was quiet for a very long time. Trunks was starting to get exasperated and was starting to contemplate leaving the room, when Vegeta spoke up again. "I left because I loved her."

"What?" Trunks looked back over, his eyebrows rising. "Don't give me that! You didn't leave to protect her, you-"

"No, I didn't. I left because I loved her. And I didn't want to." Trunks was silent for a long time after that and so was Vegeta. But finally his father started talking again. "Saiyans… think emotions like love and the like are weaknesses. She ruined me. She knew me, loved me, and challenged me. And I loved her too. And that… frightened me. I was afraid she was changing me. She did change me. More than you'll ever understand. And that's why I left. I ran away, boy. I ran away from the person she made me into."

Trunks looked down at the floor, angry tears stinging at his eyes. Hearing that his father had left them for such a selfish reason hurt. It hurt more than he was willing to admit. He stared at the floor, refusing to look up. "Are you happy?"

"What?"

"Did leaving make you happy?"

"No."

Trunks looked up sharply, a few tears falling despite his desperate attempts to keep them back. Vegeta just stared up at the ceiling, never making eye contact.

"No I'm not happy. In fact, the moment I left, I was miserable." He shook his head. "But I understood misery. It was familiar, so I left."

Trunks felt a few more tears slip and he wiped his face angrily. He looked back down at the floor and ventured another question. "If… you had known about me. If mom had known before you left, would you have stayed?"

"No."

The words hit him like a ton of bricks and he winced, keeping his eyes on the floor. He wanted to ask why not, but he had just about enough of questions. Still, he did prefer the honesty to a sugarcoated version meant to protect his feelings. He didn't look up, and Vegeta just kept talking.

"In fact, I would probably have left earlier."

"Why?" The word tumbled out before Trunks could stop it.

"Because it would have been something else that would make me want to stay."

The words shocked Trunks. He raised his head a little bit, to look at his father who had finally turned his head to look at him. "You… would have wanted to stay?"

"I don't want a son. I don't want children. When I said that, I meant it. But… I did name you my heir. I acknowledged you as my son. That should be answer enough for you. Now stop crying. You're a Saiyan royal. Saiyans, especially not the elite, or the royal family, do not cry."

"I'm not crying." It was a lame reply, but it was all Trunks could manage to say.

"No." Vegeta said, looking over at him. "You're not. You are my son, after all."

Trunks felt himself smile despite the anger and sadness that he still felt inside him. "Alright, father."

* * *

><p><strong>(Someone reviewed the last chapter, asking if they could translate this fic into Italian. My answer is yes, but I would very much like to be credited with writing it. That would be nice.) <strong>


	26. Letters to a Better You

The trip back to Earth had been a long one, but it had given everyone plenty of time to heal and relax, which in all honesty had been a nice change of pace. Goten and Trunks spent most of their time eating, sleeping, or catching up with one another. After all, they had a lot of time to make up for, and it had been a difficult experience to go through. Goku and Gohan spent the remainder of the trip trying to get to know their relatives, but that proved to be an awkward endeavor at best. Raditz was rude when he did speak up, and Bardock was quiet and distant. During most of the trip, not even Goten had been able to coax a few words from him. Raditz had seemed to understand, but was vague and snarky whenever the subject came up, saying that Bardock was just being overly sentimental.

The rest of the crew was as lively as ever, and there was no doubt that they were ecstatic to have their friends back. Piccolo had joined Bardock again in his quiet and distant phase, but Gohan had explained that that was just how Piccolo was, and it was hard for anyone to tell when Piccolo was happy.

Vegeta kept to himself, and as soon as his wounds had finally healed his time consisted of working out, and sitting in corners looking contemplative. Trunks had decided not to pester him about it, and the two kept their distance from one another, barely sparing glances and nods. Goku had tried a few times to get them to talk to each other again, but Trunks had shaken his head and explained there was no more need to talk, at least not for a while. He wasn't sure what he would say to his father, anyhow.

Finally though, that blue planet that he and Goten had loved and missed so much was coming into view. The sight nearly brought tears to everyone's eyes. Trunks stood next to Goten and Gohan, watching the planet get closer as they slowly made their descent. Goten was hopping with joy, bouncing up and down, his fists clenched. "Can you believe it Trunks? We're home! Finally home!"

"I almost can't."

"Oh come on, you two." Goku said, walking up behind them. "It hasn't been that long, has it?"

"That's easy for you to say, dad." Gohan said, turning to them. "You were practically comatose for most of it. And these two were slaves."

"Yeah, it felt a lot longer for us." Goten defended.

Goku smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Really? How long has it been then?"

"Two years!" Trunks and Goten said together.

"Whoa boy." Goku looked back at the window. "Chi-Chi is NOT going to be happy." He said, turning a bit red.

The forceful jerk of them entering the atmosphere came with a bit of a shock, but it just meant they were that much closer. About five minutes later, the ship finally touched the earth and the youngest two members could hardly wait to get off the ship. As soon as the doors opened the two were on the ground. Trunks smiled up at the sky, and held his arms out, flopping backwards into the grass. The sun felt so good, so warm. It was perfect out, it wasn't scorching hot, there was actual foliage on the grounds and his Ki was free to whip about as much as he wanted. He felt Goten collapse onto the grass next to him.

"Even under Saiyan Rule it's not that different."

"Earth never changes."

"It's great, isn't it?"

The two laughed and lay in the grass together, staring up at the blue sky. It finally felt natural. They were finally home.

They hardly noticed the battalion of Saiyan guards standing over them before it was too late. They had practically forgotten that the Saiyans ruled their little planet now.

"Surrender! You are trespassing on-"

"Stand down."

Everyone turned back towards the ship, where Vegeta was standing, walking down the ramp, towards the group of guards. The guards instantly dropped to one knee, bowing. "Prince Vegeta!"

Vegeta walked down and Trunks and Goten sat up turning to look at him. The prince walked towards them and put his hands on his hips. "Planet Vegeta is gone."

"What?" All the Saiyans looked up at him. "How could…?"

"Freeza destroyed it." Looks of anger and hatred crossed every Saiyan there but Vegeta held up a hand to quiet them. "He has since paid the price, with his life." This earned him a cheer of victory, but he wasn't done talking. "Gather the rest of the Saiyans on this planet and come back here."

"Sir!" They all ran off, and Trunks stood up, staring over at his father.

"You're not leaving… are you?"

"I have to. Cooler and King Cold are still out there, and they'll be looking to take advantage of my weakened forces. I have to gather the remaining Saiyans."

"… Not right away, you don't."

"I can't afford to take breaks, boy."

"You can afford to take this one."

"Goten!" Everyone looked over to Bardock, Gohan, Raditz and Goku who was waving to them. "Come on! We need to go home and let your mother meet her brother and father in law! Also, she might kill Piccolo!"

"What?" Piccolo looked over, confused.

"Well you were the one who didn't make Gohan study. I was dying at the time." Goku defended. He waved to Goten again. "Come on!"

Goten jumped up and ran over to his family. He turned back. "I'll see you later, Trunks. I'll swing by Capsule Corp."

"Okay." Trunks nodded.

The Son family took off into the air and Trunks put a hand over his eyes and watched them go. He turned back to Vegeta. "The Saiyans can wait a few hours." He walked up to his father. "We have somewhere to be."

* * *

><p>It was ten in the morning and Bulma Briefs was just now starting her day. It was a shameful thing for a business woman to do, but then again it was the weekend and she hadn't been able to do very much business since their planet had been taken over. Bulma covered her mouth as she yawned and watched the coffee pour down from the filter into the pot at the bottom of the coffee maker. It had been a long two years, and it was starting to take its toll. After all, in one year she had completely modified Goku's old space ship and sent Yamucha, Kuririn, Tienshinhan and No. 18 into space to go and find her son, and in the other year she had spent trying to come up with another energy source and also keep her company afloat with the Saiyans ruling Earth. It was tough, even for a genius like her.<p>

She walked over to the stairs leading down into her father's lab and yawned, rubbing her eyes. " Dad, do you want coffee?"

"Yes, thank you dear!" The reply came. "Also, could you maybe get the mail?"

"Sure." That was another thing that had not ceased to amaze Bulma. For an occupied planet, they sure went about life in their usual way. The mail was still delivered, the stores stayed open… However life was much harder with their 'rulers' taking most of their resources and income. A lot of people, mostly able-bodied men, were taken to mine said recourses and even more were taken away to the home planet as slaves. Their planet had been reduced to a farm. Good for taking recourses and people. Still she supposed she should count herself lucky the planet hadn't been purged and sold like so many other planets.

Bulma opened the front door and stepped out onto the first step, leaning down to pick up the bundle of mail that was bound with a rubber band. She yawned and stood up, rubbing at her eyes and looking the bundle over. Incredible. The planet had been taken over; thousands of people killed thousands more sold as slaves and Bulma Briefs was still getting junk mail.

She shook her head sadly and turned to go back inside, but a voice from behind her stopped her cold. "Mom?"

Bulma was terrified. She stiffened, and started shaking. This was not a fear for her life or for her safety, but fear that she was wrong. That she was hearing things. She turned around slowly, and tears sprang to her eyes. It was no hallucination. There he was. A tall young man with short purple hair, bright blue eyes and a smile she'd know anywhere. Her heart caught in her throat and she could barely speak. "Trunks…?"

"Hi, mom. I'm home."

That was all she needed to hear. Her heart melted and she ran forwards, grabbing her son by the shoulders and hauling him in closer into a tight embrace. Trunks wrapped his arms around her too, and she let go of a sob she had barely been able to hold back at all. She pushed away from him, taking his face in her hands, still tightly gripping the bundle of mail with one. "Oh my god…" She choked. "You're so much taller now."

Trunks laughed and hugged her again. "It's been awhile."

Bulma wrapped her arms around her son tightly, looping her fingers through his hair, and tears running down her face. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm sorry."

She pulled back again, running a hand over his face again. "How did you get back? Did Yamucha and them find you?"

"Yes." Trunks nodded and smiled. "And that's not all. Look." He looked behind him and Bulma smiled a little before following his gaze.

"Wha…" Her words died in her mouth as her eyes landed on a familiar figure, leaning against the fence. She gasped and her eyes widened. "Vegeta…" The man looked up as she spoke his name and she held a hand over her mouth. "Trunks, he's…"

"I know, mom." Trunks moved out of the way. "Don't worry, I already know."

Bulma moved past her son, and walked over to the man she had known so long ago. He looked up at her, and turned his head away a little bit, like he wasn't willing to make eye contact. Bulma reached up and put her free hand on his cheek and turned his face back towards her. He stared at her for a few moments before looking away with his eyes.

"Hello, Bulma."

"Vegeta, you…" Bulma felt tears coming to her eyes as she kept her hand on Vegeta's cheek. "You…" She closed her eyes tightly, and shook a little bit. "YOU MORON!" With those words she struck him as hard as she could over the head with the bundle of mail in her hands. Vegeta stumbled, looking over at Bulma in shock.

"What the hell, woman?"

"Don't you give me that!" Bulma took a step forwards. "You're lucky I wasn't working on something, this could have been a socket wrench!" She said, holding up the mail.

Vegeta growled and took a step forwards. "You're lucky I don't snap your neck!" He snarled. "After all this time, the first thing you can think to say is to call me a moron and hit me over the head?"

"I call you a moron because you are a moron! Moron! Moron! Moron!" With every 'moron', she whacked him over the head with the mail, until he caught her wrist.

"The first hit is free, woman. The rest you pay for!"

Bulma's response to this was to switch the mail to her other hand and whap him on the head again.

* * *

><p>Trunks sat on the couch in the living room, with his grandparents, both of who had nearly had a conniption upon his return. However that was nothing compared to the conniption they'd had when they saw Vegeta. Bulma had been reluctant to leave Trunks' side any time soon, but Trunks had insisted she needed to talk to Vegeta in private. He could hear their muffled voices coming from the room a few feet away with his acute hybrid hearing. He sighed and folded his hands in front of his mouth, and smiled as his grandmother set some tea down on the table in front of him. And then, with absolutely no warning, Goku and Goten appeared in the room. Trunks jumped a bit, and nearly fell off the couch. He had nearly forgotten about instantaneous movement.<p>

"Hi, Trunks!" Goten waved.

"Hi, Goten."

"Hey, Trunks!" Goku smiled, turning to him. "How did Bulma take seeing Vegeta again?"

"She hit him on the head with a newspaper."

"Better than I thought then."

Goten smiled and sat down next to Trunks. "Better than mom took it. She's still chasing Piccolo with a broom. We should go back soon, she's going to want to keep me in her sights for a while."

Trunks laughed at the mental image of Chi-Chi chasing Piccolo with a broom and then looked over at the room his parents were in. Goten followed his gaze and frowned.

"What do you think they're talking about?"

"I don't know." Which was the honest truth.

* * *

><p>"When did you know?"<p>

"Three months after you left."

Vegeta frowned and folded his arms, sitting in the chair across from the blue haired woman. He sighed and leaned forwards onto his knees. "You didn't think to check before that?" He asked quietly.

"I was on the pill, I didn't think it was a concern." Bulma shook her head. "It had hardly even occurred to me." She leaned back into her chair, folding her legs. "And when you left, I was too scared of the possibility."

Vegeta looked away out the window, and sighed. He wasn't sure what to say to all that. He felt angry, he felt betrayed, and he felt guilty. Not a healthy combination for any Saiyan. He had expressly told Bulma he hadn't wanted any children when they had been together. He knew what having a family did. It made you attached, it gave you weaknesses and it was a target for enemies. Bulma had assured him the chances of such a thing happening were slim at best, but now his son was almost two cycles old and sitting in the next room. He growled a bit and buried his face into his hands.

"It's not like I could have told you anyways. It takes a few months for that to show up and you had already gone by then."

"It's not an excuse. You said-"

"I didn't ask for this either, Vegeta."

Vegeta looked up at her, and frowned, tilting his head a little bit.

"I didn't ask to be left alone, carrying the evidence of the man who broke my heart. The incredibly strong evidence, mind you. There were some days I thought he'd kill me. I won't even tell you about the delivery." Bulma folded her arms. "But I'm not sorry it happened. In fact I'm glad it happened. I love Trunks more than I can say, and I wouldn't trade him for anything."

Vegeta looked down at the floor again. "You told the boy I was dead."

Bulma sighed and leaned into her arm. "I did… and that was wrong. It was wrong for me to lie to him."

"Then why did you say it?" Vegeta looked up. "Did you hope I was?"

"No!" Bulma leaned forwards. "Vegeta, I _love _you. Saying you were dead was just… easier to explain."

"Love." Vegeta echoed, scoffing.

"Yes, Vegeta. Love." Bulma folded her arms, leaning back. "Even after all you've done to me, I still love you." She looked out the window. "And I know what you're going say. That I'm stupid and crazy. And maybe you're right, but…" She shook her head.

Vegeta scowled and stood up. "I don't want to talk about this. I shouldn't have com here."

"Why?" Bulma looked up at him. "Why not?"

"Because I am still the prince of all Saiyans! Love makes you weak. Families make you weak!"

Bulma didn't even flinch. She just stared up at him, folding her arms and replying with an even coolness. "Why are you so afraid of what other people think of you?"

Vegeta's face went red with rage. "Afraid? Of what people think?" He took a step forward. "Woman, you are insane! I don't-"

"You're not weak, Vegeta."

There was silence in the room, and Vegeta looked down at her, unable to say anything in response. Bulma continued.

"You're not weak. And neither is Trunks, and neither am I." She stood up, and walked over. "Like it or not, you have a family now. And…" She put a hand on her shoulder. "Personally, I think you're even stronger than the day we met."

"I would hope so, woman. It has been two cycles."

"That's not what I mean."

"I know." Vegeta turned away from her. He heard her move away from him and a few minutes later she was back. He looked back at her and noticed she was holding a bulging yellow envelope. She handed it to him and he took it slowly, looking up at her.

"You don't have to figure this out on your own, Vegeta." She said quietly. "And you don't have to figure it out now. I waited twenty years for you. I can wait a while longer." She turned around and walked over to the door. "I'm going to sit with Trunks a while." She left the room and Vegeta was alone. He looked down at the yellow envelope and flipped it open. He reached inside and pulled out a bundle of paper that was tied together with a piece of twine. He undid it and sat on the chair, before picking up the first piece of paper and unfolding it. There was writing on it, and he frowned.

_I don't know why I'm doing this._

It said, in Bulma's handwriting.

_It was Chi-Chi's suggestion. She said writing letters to you would help me deal with it. She said she did it when Goku died. But you're not dead. But you're just as likely to get these as he was. I don't see the point. And I'm not sure what to say. But I decided to humor her. _

That was the end of it. He shook his head and sorted through a few more, before picking one up that looked like it contained something else. There was more writing, but something else tumbled out onto his lap. It was a picture of Bulma, standing facing to the side with her stomach bulging out. The writing read:

_Me, about six months in. There's no doubting this is your child. He kicks so hard I feel like he's going to break my back._

Vegeta shook his head, smirking a little bit. He flipped through some more of the papers, picking up another with a picture inside it. This time it was a picture of her in a hospital bed, holding a baby, who he instantly recognized as Trunks. He looked over at the letter attached to him.

_It's a boy! I named him Trunks. He's as healthy as can be, and I can't be happier. He looks like you, don't you think? He looks like he's scowling at me, and it reminds me of you. It's a little scary._

Vegeta chuckled and kept looking through them. Most of them were just letters. It wasn't until he stumbled on an usually short one that he stopped. He picked it up, and opened it.

_I don't know how to do this anymore, Vegeta. I can't do it on my own. I'm worried I'm not a good mother. Are you ever coming back?_

Vegeta stared at that note for a while before putting it down and sorting through the remaining pictures. He sighed and picked up one. It was of Trunks as a child, holding something large and heavy over his head. He picked up another. Trunks and Goten both at a tournament. The rest were of Bulma and Trunks, each in some new situation, and he sighed setting the whole bundle down. He ran his hands through his hair and let his head hang.

He had no idea what he was going to do.


	27. To Make Amends and To the End

The room was packed with people, all of whom were laughing, and drinking an eating. It was a scene Bulma had missed, and it nearly brought tears to her eyes again. Goku was talking, bragging about Gohan's progress, and about Goten and Trunks' victory against Freeza and how they finally made the ascension. He was laughing and talking about how they hadn't had a chance to show off at all. It made Bulma beam with pride, as she ran her fingers through her son's hair. Trunks sat at her feet, next to Goten who was sitting next to them, by his own mother, who was clinging to him like he might vanish at any time.

Vegeta hadn't joined them for a long time. He had left to 'be alone' a few hours ago and had not returned. Part of Bulma knew she should have expected it, but the rest of her heart ached, having hoped to have him back finally. She and Trunks had had a very long talk, which was mostly comprised of Bulma apologizing for not telling him the truth sooner. Though Trunks said he was too relieved to be home, to care about that, and insisted he forgave her. It made her wonder how she had done without him for those years. She smiled down at Trunks, who was now talking with Goten, both of them describing what being a Super Saiyan had felt like, and how strong they would be if they became Gotenks and made the transformation then. Bulma didn't like the idea of Trunks leaving to train, or to fight any time soon, but there wasn't a force in the world that would stop him.

The other members of the Son family, the newest additions, that being Raditz and Bardock, were standing against the wall, simply observing, though there was a small smile on Bardock's face.

She smiled and looked up as they all talked, and ate, and made up for so much of their lost time. It certainly felt good. However it all came to a halt, like a record scratch, when the door opened. Everyone turned to look over to Vegeta, who was walking through the door. He halted, noticing everyone was looking at him. He frowned and folded his arms, turning away.

"I've instructed the Saiyans to all head towards the ships. We'll be leaving this planet shortly."

"We?" Bulma stood up, frowning. "You're going with them?"

"I have to." Vegeta said, looking over at her. "Cooler and King Cold are still out there. They'll be looking to finish what Freeza started. I have to gather what Saiyans remain. With all of them spread so thin, we, along with the planets they occupy, will be no match."

Bulma frowned and nodded a little bit, speaking quietly. "I understand."

"Saiyans are strong, Vegeta." Goku said, leaning forwards. "Surely it can wait a while longer."

"No, Kakarot, it can't." Vegeta said, eyeing him. "With planet Vegeta destroyed there's no way we'll win this war. Though we're a warrior race, and therefore will go out as such."

Raditz removed himself from the wall. "I'll go with you then."

"Uncle?" Goten looked up. "You're leaving?"

"I'm not staying here. No offense, but it's far too peaceful for me."

Goten stood up and ran over to Bardock. "You're not leaving too, are you grandpa?"

Bardock put a hand on Goten's head and ruffled his hair. "Probably, runt."

"No!" He grabbed onto Bardock's hand. "You guys just got here! You'll see, it's really not that peaceful! We get attacked all the time! Really!"

"I'm sorry, Goten. But we're a bit out of place here."

Goku stood up and cleared his throat. "Sorry, but um… You think if Planet Vegeta was back then maybe you'd win the war?"

Vegeta looked over at Goku, and folded his arms. "No maybe about it, Kakarot. We would win." He held up a hand. "However, in case you haven't noticed, the planet is GONE. It's space dust."

"So… there would be no problem if it was back?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Well, would you promise to leave our planet, and the other planets you invaded alone if we bring your planet back?" Goku took a step forwards.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Yes, Kakarot. I promise to do JUST that." He said, dropping his arms. "But the planet is GONE."

"We can just wish it back."

"Oh yes!" Vegeta threw his hands in the air exasperated. "And if we're all especially good of heart, and we hope enough, we can all become magical creatures who can cure wounds with our tears. What is wrong with you, Kakarot? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

* * *

><p>"And you didn't tell me about these things before?"<p>

Vegeta looked down at the set of golden orbs on the floor and reached down to pick one up and turned it over. Bulma walked over to him, and folded her hands behind her back. "Well, you were evil then."

Vegeta looked up as Goku walked up to him. "We didn't want you using them to… well be evil."

"And they'll bring my planet back."

"Yep." Goku nodded. "But just once, so don't get it blown up again." Goku said, taking the orb from him. They had brought him up to this hovering platform—or very thinly suspended one—and rather bluntly told him about their magical balls that could grant wishes. Well, Vegeta had seen stranger. Okay, that was a lie, no he hadn't. But he wasn't going to just tell them that.

"Are you sure we want to be doing this, Goku? How do we know they just wont keep killing people?" Kuririn was standing off the side, folding his arms. He shook his head, and sighed. "I mean, can we really trust them?"

"I trust Vegeta, Kuririn." Goku said, turning back to walk over to the other orbs, before looking back at the others. "And leaving it as is, is more dangerous than letting the Saiyans stay dead." He walked over to Vegeta, and frowned. "Vegeta, I can trust you, can't I?"

Vegeta stared at the Saiyan in front of him and turned his head. Being here, losing his people, his planet… It brought out a strange side of him. A side that had he had long since buried. He was trying to justify it away. He desperately tried to tell himself that he did not want to be like Freeza. Or that it was just a simple change of heart. But it wasn't. He had had a very long talk with Goku's father, Kakarot. Apparently, he had been against the idea of slavery since the beginning and he made a convincing argument for it. He had handed his pride, the pride of his kingdom, to the people who built it. Slaves. The very people who they were supposed to be walking on. And why? Because no Saiyan wanted to not being a warrior?

Still, Saiyans were a conquering race, but he was not opposed to finding alternatives. Bardock had been more than helpful in giving suggestions. The man was definitely a valuable asset.

Goku somehow seemed satisfied with his silence and turned back, and set the orb with the others, before nodding to his friends. "Alright, stand back." He raised his hand and held it over the dragon balls, which began to glow in response. Vegeta narrowed his eyes incredulously, he wasn't sure what to think of this whole thing, but his doubts were dispelled when the sky suddenly went black. He looked up horrified as smoke swirled about and the long coils of a dragon appeared in the clouds. He took a step back, and Goku looked up at the dragon. He smirked. "Shenron! We've come to you, asking for a wish."

"What is it you desire?"

"A planet was destroyed a while ago. The Saiyan Planet. Planet Vegeta. Can you bring it back?"

"This is a simple matter."

The dragon's voice was large and booming, and Vegeta would never admit how small he felt. He staggered backwards, looking upwards at the huge monster above him as his eyes began to glow, and a blinding light filled his eyes. He turned away and with the suddenness that it had begun with, it was over. Vegeta lowered his arm from his face and looked up at the sky, which was its usual shade of blue. He looked up at Goku. "And… that's it…?"

"That's it." Goku walked back over. "Your planet is back."

Bulma walked over too, looking downwards. "I guess this means you'll be going back?"

"It does." Vegeta looked over at Goku. "How do I know if it worked?"

Goku blinked and rubbed the back of his head. "What, don't you trust me?"

Vegeta was silent and shook his head. "Never mind." He walked to the edge of the platform he stood on and looked over the edge. He looked up and sighed, wondering if what Goku had said really was the truth. "I'm going to leave tomorrow." He said quietly, casting Bulma a glance.

Bulma smiled a little bit and walked over. "Sure." She said, nodding. "You can stay at my place." She said taking his hand.

"I didn't ask-"

"You were going to." She said, walking over. "Come on, carry me back."

"What? You came here in a car didn't you?"

"I don't feel like getting it out. Come on, just like old times." She looped her arms around her neck and Vegeta couldn't hide the blush that crept onto his face. He picked her up, bridal style and took off into the air. He would never announce it verbally, and he wouldn't even think about it, but he had missed the feel of her body against his. And it was nice to feel it again. They flew in total silence and Vegeta thought about his choices. He thought about his options, and shook his head, these were things best left to silence and stillness. Not midflight carrying the mother of his child. The two finally landed outside Capsule Corp where Trunks and Goten were sitting outside. They both looked up and Vegeta set Bulma down and walked inside, not saying a word. He noticed Bulma had stopped to talk to Trunks and soon after Goten left. She and the boy both walked in, and Bulma pulled him into a hug before sending him off up the stairs. She walked up to Vegeta and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Your room is still the same as ever, upstairs, do you remember?"

"Yes, I do." Vegeta sighed, sitting down on the couch, and folded his arms in front of his mouth. "… There's something I want to talk about with you, Bulma."

Bulma frowned and sat down on the table in front of the couch Vegeta sat on. "What's wrong?"

Vegeta sighed and steeled himself. He was no good at things like this, and it was not an easy thing to do for him. "I've made my mind up, you know. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"I know."

"There's nothing that will keep me here."

"I know."

"So come with me."

"I kno—What?"

"Come with me, Bulma. I'm a prince, I have to rule my planet, but I want you to be there with me."

Bulma stared at him for a long time. Longer than Vegeta would have liked, and it was starting to make him nervous. He fidgeted a little bit and tapped his foot as she smiled at him finally. "Vegeta, I'm not going to be your concubine."

"No." Vegeta looked up suddenly, and spoke harshly. "No, that's now what I want." He sighed and lowered his head again. "You'd be my… My…"

"Queen?"

Vegeta sighed and breathed through his teeth. "Yes."

Bulma's breath caught in her throat and he saw her face turn bright red. "Vegeta I…" He closed his eyes. Whenever she started sentences like that it always meant no. "I couldn't." And there it was. "Earth is my home. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else."

"I understand." Vegeta sighed.

"Besides, I don't agree with a lot of what Saiyans do."

"I know that." Vegeta shook his head. "Most of those things I plan on changing." He stood up. "Slavery for starters."

"Really?"

"Yes." He looked down at her. "My father handed over the foundation, the very building blocks of our kingdom over to slaves. They built my kingdom. And I'm going to take it back. Even if it means abolishing slavery entirely."

"Wow… Vegeta, that's great!" She stood up. "That's a very noble thing to do."

"I discussed it at length with Kakarot's father." He shook his head and turned to walk up to his room. He paused. "It won't be easy. Saiyans are stubborn and strong willed, and they're rather fond of slavery. It will take a few years for it to be fully abolished. It probably won't happen till Trunks is king."

There was silence. "What?"

"Well, Saiyans are loyal, but they won't dissuaded easily."

"No, not that. Trunks. Go back to the part about Trunks."

"What about him?"

"You said he'd be king."

"Of course he will." Vegeta said, turning around. "He's coming back with me."

"Oh no!" Bulma marched over to Vegeta raising her finger to his face. "I am NOT letting you take my boy back with you! You're not taking him from me again!"

"Woman, I named him my heir. He is the prince of all Saiyans now."

"I don't care what you did, Trunks is staying here! He just got home and you want to take him away from me?"

"He's my son." Vegeta took a step forwards.

"No!" Bulma howled, her face turning red. "He's MY son!" She wiped furious tears from her eyes and jabbed Vegeta in the chest. "_I _carried him! _I _raised him! _I _loved, named and protected him! You left us! You have no claim over him!"

"He bears my blood!"

"He bears mine too!"

"What's going on down here?"

As if their words had summoned him by saying his name too many times, Trunks appeared in the doorway. Bulma folded her arms over each other, over her stomach. "It's nothing Trunks. Go back to sleep."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Haven't you lied to the boy enough, woman?"

"Oh, you're gonna question my parenting skills? You're the one who left him and then bought him as a slave."

Trunks took a step forwards. "What's happening? What's the matter?"

Bulma opened his mouth but Vegeta beat him to it. "Trunks, you are a prince of Planet Vegeta. You are going to be king of all Saiyans some day. You will have the chance to change things in way my father, the way that I will never be able to. You can save more lives than you ever could by staying here living a life of peace. You could cripple the armies of Cooler and his father and end this cycle of tyranny. That is what you are destined to do."

Bulma looked over at Vegeta, her jaw dropped. She looked over at Trunks who was staring at both his parents. She sighed, and looked away. "Trunks, you…"

"I don't want to go."

"What?" They both looked at him. He was glaring.

"I just got home, and you want me to go back there?"

"It's not a matter of want." Vegeta walked over. "It's a matter of what you can do. How many people you can help. There are those who haven't gone home yet. I need you to help me."

Bulma sighed, and Vegeta could tell his words made sense to her. Trunks looked conflicted, and she walked over to him, putting a hand on Trunks' cheek. "… Whatever you choose. I'll be right there with you. Don't you dare think for a second that I'm going to leave you alone again."

Vegeta blinked and looked over at her. "Bulma…"

"Well, I'm not staying here, if he goes." She turned around. "It's like I said. You're not taking my son away from me again."

* * *

><p>Trunks woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up and rubbing his forehead on the back of his hands. He glanced at the red clock at the side of his rather large and lavish bed. He rolled back onto his back and sighed staring up at the satin curtain, which hung over him. He shrugged and rolled onto his side, breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon. He still had bad dreams. Still painful memories. And they still woke him in the middle of the night. The curtains were drawn, but he could tell it was light outside. He sighed and pulled his pillow over his head as there was a knock at the door.<p>

"Trunks?" His mother's familiar voice was at the door. He groaned and buried his face in his pillow before throwing his blanket off him and standing up, pulling his loose pants up tighter around his waist. He stumbled over to his dresser, pulling it open and rooting through the clothes to find a shirt. Another knock came. "Trunks, are you awake?"

"Yes!" He gasped, pulling a shirt over his head. "I'm up!" He ran to the door, hauling his shirt down, and opening the door. His mother stood there, with her hands on her hips.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" She asked.

"Yes, mom." He said, hugging her. "Sorry, mom."

She whapped him on the back, and stepped back, brushing the hair from his face. "Go get something to eat, you goof."

Trunks nodded and took off running through the halls. His mother was most likely going to go back and work on something else in her lab. He skidded around corner, nearly running head long into another person in the halls. He ground to a halt, bracing his feet against the floor and looked up at the familiar face that was glaring down at him. He smirked, and stood up straight, adjusting his shirt.

"Morning, Nappa."

"Good morning, _your highness._"

The pain the words brought Nappa was never lost on Trunks. He made a habit of making it as hard as he could on the bald headed Saiyan, as possible. He knew it ate him up inside that he was working for Trunks now. Trunks smiled a little brighter and put his hands on his hips. "Am I in trouble?"

"You ought to be." Nappa shrugged. "You're late."

"It's just breakfast." He said, his face falling.

"You've got guests today."

Instantly he brightened. "Really? Great!" He turned to run again, and Nappa caught him, pulling him back.

"You're going dressed like _that_?"

"What's wrong with this?"

"… You're barefoot, and in your pajamas."

"Oh whatever, no one will care." He said, shaking his head. "Besides, aren't I the prince? I should be able to do whatever I want."

"Doesn't work like that."

"Well it should." Trunks smiled. "Besides, I know who it is, and we're lucky he's even awake today." He brushed Nappa's hand off him and ran towards the dining hall. It had been a year. One year since he and his mother had relocated to planet Vegeta. They had settled into the castle easily, but his mother and he still had serious bouts of homesickness. His father and his mother seemed to be getting along alright, but they seemed distant. Like they were getting used to each other's company again. There was no mushy romantic talk between the two of them, and for that Trunks was grateful. They did talk though. Quite a lot, actually. Trunks did a lot of diplomatic work, helping his father make the Saiyan Empire a… better one. It wasn't an easy job, but his half-breed status was more of a boon than a burden. Other species saw it as a step in the right direction. There were several sects of Saiyans who didn't like it though, and Vegeta had personally put down a few rebellions. Still, it was doing better. This hostile race.

Trunks arrived at the door, and pushed it open. He walked through and smiled at the three people who sat around the table. One of them jumped up and Trunks ran forwards grabbing him up into a hug. "Goten!"

It was indeed his childhood friend and his grandfather, Bardock. He stepped away, and laughed as his friend beamed at him. His father clearing his throat drew him out of the reunion. "You're late, Trunks."

"Sorry." Trunks sat down and so did Goten. "I slept in."

"Honestly, Trunks." Goten laughed. "You're worse than me, sometimes."

"Never that bad."

Bardock leaned forwards. "How's your job treating you?"

Trunks reached forwards and grabbed his share of food, bringing it closer. "Fine. What about yours?"

Bardock had returned to Planet Vegeta with Raditz and had been come emissaries as well as advisors to the king, his father. Goten and Gohan had come along, much to their dismay of their mother. Gohan and Goten helped the two deal with the slavery issue, which was still being addressed, but didn't plan to make it their permanent home. Goku visited often with Chi-Chi, using instantaneous movement. Trunks and Bulma had often suggested that Goku come and take them all to Earth to visit a few days, but the schedules remained tight. Vegeta had made promises though, to make sure they would visit it again soon. Trunks was shocked at just how much his father had changed over the year he had known him. He lifted his food to his mouth as Bardock described how well or badly they did on some jobs.

"So what about you, Trunks?"

"Hm?" Trunks looked up. "What about me?"

Goten laughed. "You're not even listening."

Trunks smiled and leaned into his hand. "What about me, then?"

"Are you happy?"

The question caught him off guard. He looked up and looked back and forth between his friend's faces. He looked over at his father, who was staring over at him, waiting for his answer. He smiled a little bit, crookedly. He hadn't really thought about it. This wasn't his home, and he had come to hate it, the years he had worked there as a slave. But now, things were different, and they were changing every day. He thought about it a little bit more and leaned into his hand.

"Yeah. I'm happy."


End file.
